Chasing pack battle to be Clutha's main challenger
Things are getting tight at the top of the Southern Region Rugby ladder as round two is well and truly under way.
Clutha has a substantial lead on the chasing pack, but positions second to fifth are only separated by seven points.
Clutha host Heriot on their Club Day this weekend in what is a battle between the two in-form teams of the competition.
Clutha is unbeaten still, and showing off all the weapons in their arsenal. They have shown that they can win well, but last weekend they showed that they can win scrappy too, with a tight victory at Swamp Hen Park.
Heriot has won three matches on the trot and are coming off a strong win over Lawrence last weekend in their 140th jubilee main event.
Heriot's forwards are setting a platform and their backs are performing extremely well on the front foot.
Toko sit in second place and have their home semifinal aspirations in their own hands.
They saw off a spirited Clutha Valley side last weekend at Milton, despite performing well below their best.
Toko head to Lawrence this weekend in what will be another battle of attrition.
Lawrence are yet to win a match this season, but are coming off an improved performance against Heriot in the weekend.
Lawrence is usually quite difficult to tip up at home, so the Toko boys will need to front up if they want to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
West Taieri sit in third position on the ladder, right in the middle of the action.
The Pigs are coming off perhaps their worst performance in recent years last weekend at Kaitangata, which saw them lose touch with the leaders.
West Taieri is back at home this weekend and will be determined to find their groove against an Owaka side who nearly got the job done against Clutha last weekend.
Owaka are playing some fantastic rugby at times this season, but accuracy has let them down in recent weeks.
Crescent solidified their top four credentials last weekend with a strong win over West Taieri that was built not only on exciting attack, but also hardened defence, especially in the second half.
Crescent sit two points behind West Taieri in third, but also only two points ahead of Heriot in fifth.
Crescent travel to Clutha Valley this weekend in a battle of two potentially depleted lineups, with injury and absence a major concern for both sides.
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