Old Boys-Marist surge to top of the table in high-scoring win over Kia Toa stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kia Toa roar back from nowhere to draw with Te Kawau stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Front row club lead the charge as Freyberg knock over Kia Toa stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
If the Ben Werthmuller and Matene Ruawai road show keeps on trucking, don't rule out Old Boys-Marist from the Hankins Shield semifinals as they set out to run down Te Kawau.
COB, through their offloading, piled on five more tries to be 36-0 up and a cricket score beckoned in the second spell. One try was a beauty from a restart when Andre Taylor ran from his own line, Johnny Galloway crosskicked and Andrew McDougall scored 100 metres upfield. Instead, Freyberg won the second half 19-5 after they reconfigured their backline and rumbled on the oldest club player in Manawatū, 42-year-old lock Karl Stewart. COB began conceding penalties and injuries hit badly including serious ones to lock Jared Goodson (ribs) and wing Awatere Kiwara (knee). WARWICK SMITH/Stuff College Old Boys first five-eighth Stewart Cruden, right, tries to push off Freyberg fullback Beau Hourigan.
David Unwin/Stuff College Old Boys hooker Cory Purton, centre, goes up the guts against Te Kawau at the Arena on Thursday night. RUGBY: When Jubilee Cup winners Feilding soared to 17-0 as if on a training gallop, Varsity coach Scott Lewis might have sent out a mayday call at Johnston Park on Saturday. But after 80 minutes it ended only 27-20 to the Jubilee Cup champions Yellows who also regained the Stuart Freebairn Cup after the students had dominated for long periods even without 12 on the injured list including eight starting players. So come the heart of the second round, if the Varsity wounded can be repaired and they can unearth some attacking flair in the backs, they could re-emerge as threats.
The cornerstone of Yellows’ recent dominance, their scrum, gave them an armchair ride in the second half. Feilding started dominating in the tight, with big men Sam Wasley, Hayden Stratford, Sean Rankin and Tietie Tuimauga all hard to stop. FOB-Ōroua were stuck in their end and couldn t come up with much on attack. Wild scored his second try late in the game to seal the win and his kicking kept the Stags pinned in their half. Both teams let scoring opportunities go, with dropped ball in the rain costing them, including Feilding wing Brad Carr, who spilled the ball over the line.
There were also yellow cards for Dane Whale (COB), Ben Stephens (COB) and Chase Jordan (Freyberg) for infringing at the breakdown. Freyberg were up for it in parts and put COB under pressure, with standout No 8 Jekope Kitou making big runs up the middle and getting Freys on the front foot. College held the ball for longer periods, taking advantage of any Freyberg mistake, with first five-eighth Stewart Cruden finding gaps. Their scrum was a weapon and won them a penalty try. Loose forwards Jared Goodson, who was a regular lineout target, and Elyjah Crosswell got stuck into everything. Pacey Freyberg wing Varcon King showed a clean pair of heels again and scored two tries, while midfielder Josh Maoate and hard-working openside flanker Michael Halutuituia had strong games.