• Owaka vs Clinton

Owaka stole the win from Clinton last Friday night to retain the Bill Mitchell Memorial Trophy. Owaka had most of the possession in the first half and with a poor disciplined Clinton side, Owaka benefitted greatly. Owaka had a 17-8 lead at halftime, with tries being made by Clinton’s players Takyhara Ieru, Hunter Cleland and Laumua Ieru. Clinton dominated in scrum time and their forwards ran with purpose. Unfortunately, this was not enough against the solid Owaka side who finished strongly to wrap up the game 29 points to 13. Standouts of the game were Locks Todd Keen and Hadley Clark and winger Takyhara Leru. While Fullback Hunter Cleland and inside back James Maclean also played strongly. For Clintons side, players James Matheson and Aaron Lupton performed well. Mark Wells played an intelligent game with scoring two tries. 

• Clutha Valley vs West Taieri

Teams Clutha Valley and West Taieri are yet to be beaten in the Southern region competition following the fifth round of the competition. Clutha Valley had an impressive performance at home in the weekend with a win over Heriot. Valley made the post of all opportunities and had the most possession. Due to Heriots mistakes, Valley scored three tries to lead 19-3 at half time. Valley added three more tries in the second half to finish the game comfortably with a 40-20 win. Standouts were first five-eight Thomas Johnson who tackled well and scored himself a try. Players Liam Turnbull, Lachie Gunson and Damian Wilson also performed well.

West Taieri had a hard-fought win over Clutha. Both teams were forced to make changes in the second half due to injuries. West Taieri’s bench performed well with reserves Jared Cunningham, Arlen Docherty and Ben Davidson who added spark to the game. West Taieri managed to get ahead in the second half, getting the win 19-8. 

Article added: Friday 30 April 2021