Excelsior pack paves way for win
Rugby is an 80-minute game and Excelsior's latest Citizens Shield win proved that.
They beat Old Boys 47-26 on Saturday after trailing for almost the entire game.
The opening 20 minutes was all Old Boys.
They came charging out of the gates to score three tries and open a 19-0 lead.
An intercept try to Oli Knopp, a regular member of the backline who was playing blindside flanker, started to turn the tide Excelsior's way.
A dominant scrum 5m out from the line was the catalyst for their second try but Old Boys hit back through halfback Tini Feke to lead 26-12 at the break.
This was when Blues really kicked in to gear.
Their scrum earned them numerous penalties, which they kicked to the corner and got into the 22m.
Relentless attack eventually resulted in Tevita Vonotabua crashing over.
During another trip to the 22m, a scrum penalty was taken quickly by Seva Druma who dotted down, and Josh Phipps drilled the conversion to tie it up.
With just over 10 minutes to go, a 50-22 by Tyron Davies gave them an attacking lineout.
They were then able to spin it wide and Vonotabua scored again to give Blues their first lead of the game.
They were in again less than five minutes later after breakdown turnover unleashed a counterattack.
Shifting the ball wide, Druma gassed his defender on the outside and bagged his second.
A third to Vonotabua was the cherry on top of an extremely impressive second half.
Blues' entire front row fronted up in a big way.
Their dominant scrum laid the platform for Vonotabua, Matia Qiolevu and Druma to work their magic out wide.
Athletic Marist remain on top of the table after they dispatched Kurow 49-29.
It was the perfect way for Epineri Logavatu to celebrate his 50th game for the club. The big lock even got the chance to kick a conversion to mark the occasion.
In the final game of the round, Valley ran in 14 tries to rout Maheno 80-26.
The green and blacks kept it close in the first half, trailing by just one at the break.
Unfortunately for them, the floodgates opened in the second half in a clinical display from Valley.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Top four set to face off
Things are starting to heat up in the Citizens Shield. There are likely to be some red-hot clashes tomorrow as teams return to the park after having last week off for King's Birthday. With three round-robin games remaining in North Otago, it is almost safe to say the top four are locked in. Athletic Marist, Valley, Excelsior and Old Boys have held those spots for much of the season — but the final standings from the quartet is anyone's guess. They have all held the top spot at some stage and there has been a lot of shuffling up and down the ladder in recent weeks. Kurow are still an outside chance to make the top four, but they would need three bonus-point wins and other results to go their way to sneak into the playoffs. Athies are at the top of the table with 28 points from their five wins and two losses, and eight bonus points. Valley are close behind on 27 points from their six wins and just one loss, and three bonus points. Blues, the defending champions, are now third on 25 points with a record of five wins, two losses, and five bonus points. Old Boys hold on to fourth spot with 22 points with four wins, three losses and six bonus points. The top four all face each other tomorrow, which is sure to add another raft of changes to the standings. Blues are home to Athies in round two of the battle of the carpark. Athies ran away with a 36-20 win last time against the defending champions. Old Boys host Valley in another intriguing clash. Valley secured a 26-24 victory in round one and the team from Weston continue to improve. They have won their past five games and only recorded one loss back in week two. Kurow are fifth on the table with eight points from their one win and six losses and four bonus points. Maheno, who have been hampered by injuries all season, are winless after seven games, but have five bonus points. They could be in for a humdinger of a game in Maheno tomorrow. Kurow got home with a 42-40 win in round one and the Red Devils nearly beat Old Boys in their last
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Scoop
Blues Named For Qualifying Final Against Chiefs
EMBARGOED UNTIL 4PM June 4, 2025 Blues named for Qualifying Final against Chiefs The Blues have named a near unchanged side to go up against the Chiefs in their Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Final in Hamilton on Saturday night. After a dominant win against the Waratahs to earn a spot in the finals, the Blues are ready to lift their game to another level against the top-of-the-table Chiefs. There's just one change to the starting XV with Adrian Choat coming in at blindside flanker for Anton Segner who will provide impact off the bench. The game will be a special occasion for hooker Ricky Riccitelli who will run out in his 50th match for the Blues. Despite the Chiefs narrowly winning the last clash 32-31 in Round 5, a lot has changed since the two sides last met. The Blues have won three of their last four games and held opponents to six points or fewer in two of their last three. The Chiefs (22.8 points conceded) and Blues (23.6 points) are the two best defensive teams in the competition, setting the stage for a physical contest. Head coach Vern Cotter said he was looking forward to the challenge of finals rugby. 'We've built some good momentum over the past few weeks. Our guys are well connected and know what we want to achieve as a group,' he said. 'Finals rugby is a clean slate, and it comes down to preparing and executing well. We are certainly up for the fight and looking forward to the opportunity ahead of us. 'We need our Blues fans behind us for this one and hope to see plenty of them in the crowd cheering us on.'
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
'It doesn't matter whether it's an inch or a mile' – Chiefs braced for Blues backlash
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Chiefs v Blues Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 7 May FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live updates on RNZ Sport Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan isn't letting the defending champion Blues inclement form affect his judgement ahead of their play-off on Saturday night. McMillan, who will leave the Chiefs after the season ends to take up a contract with Irish province Munster, said that the Blues are not an easy team to prepare for. "They've got strengths across the park. They've got good pace, physical on defense. They don't give you much," McMillan said, reflecting on the Chiefs' two very contrasting wins over the Blues this season. "You just respect the opposition that's directly in front of you; they all bring different strengths to the table. They're the reigning champions and, and they've got quality littered throughout their team. So, we're not going to get anything for free." The Chiefs scored a physical yet ultimately comfortable 41-10 win over the Blues at Eden Park in round one. However, the return match five weeks later was one of the mist exciting games all year, with a missed conversion of a late Rieko Ioane try proving crucial in the 32-31 result. McMillan confirmed the surprise benching of Wallace Sititi is due to a slight injury picked up in their last game, against the Highlanders in Dunedin. It's meant that Simon Parker, Samipeni Finau and Luke Jacobson will be the starting loose forward trio, a group the McMillan has full faith in. Simon Parker. Photo: Aaron Gillions/ActionPress "(Sititi has) taken a limited part in training through the front end of the week and for a game of this magnitude, you need to have everybody firing on all cylinders. Wallace wasn't able to do that at the front end of the week. But also pretty pleased in some of those positions and don't feel like it's a backward step for anyone, guys that have been going at it all year and, this time it's Wallace's turn to come off the bench." McMillan described the 197cm, 117kg Parker's season so far as "immense" and hinted at higher honours for the 25-year-old flanker. "Probably one of our best and most consistent performers. And when you get to this point of the season, that's an opportunity. We keep hearing it from further up the food chain that this is where they want to see, players really shining under the spotlight of finals for the year." McMillan had a one word answer when asked if Parker was ready to make a step up to the All Blacks: "yup". The Chiefs are effectively playing for the right to host the final if they make it, a loss on Saturday would simply keep the Blues alive more than anything else. Even then a loss still means the Chiefs host a semi-final next weekend against presumably the Hurricanes or Brumbies, if results go that way. That home ground advantage will certainly be worth fighting for, though. The Chiefs have lost two finals in a row and will be aiming to send McMillan out on a high note. The coach dropped a quote from the Fast and the Furious to sum up how his side will approach the finals: "It doesn't matter whether it's an inch or a mile. Winning is winning."
