Crescent control first half
Crescent produced the result of the weekend with a 24-14 win over West Taieri at Kaitangata.
Crescent scored two tries inside the opening 10 minutes to assert their control before allowing West Taieri to score one of their own to narrow the gap.
West Taieri's discipline let them down badly in the first half as Crescent kicked four penalties with fullback Kairus Booth's radar on point.
Crescent went into halftime 24-7 ahead and in control of their own destiny.
West Taieri had a mortgage on territory and possession in the second half but came up against a massive defensive effort from the home side. West Taieri attacked for large portions of the half and never really gave Crescent a chance.
The only thing stopping the visitors from scoring regularly was a passionate and committed Crescent defence.
West Taieri lost battering ram Conor Lawson to a red card in the second half which slowed down their attack.
They managed to score one try for their troubles, but it was not enough.
Clutha kept their unbeaten run alive and locked away the Art Bloxham Cup for the summer with a hard-fought 22-16 win over Owaka at Swamp Hen Park.
The first half was a battle of attrition as the home side looked the more promising on attack.
They failed to make their dominance count and were guilty of throwing silly passes on attack which allowed Clutha to clear their lines.
Clutha led 7-3 at halftime.
The second half saw Clutha hold on to possession better and make metres from broken play.
They scored three second-half tries, but Owaka stayed in the match through the boot of second five Sene Te'o.
Owaka scored a try at the death to narrow the gap, but the damage had already been done.
Heriot capped off their 140th Jubilee celebrations with a strong 37-27 win over Lawrence which saw them lock away the West Otago Shield.
Heriot went to width early, found space and room to move in the outside channels.
Lawrence's forwards put in an honest shift in the first half and got their side into strong positions.
The halftime score was 20-10 to Heriot in front of a packed house at Death Valley.
Heriot opted for a more direct approach in the second half as their forwards showed their physical abilities.
Lawrence began to tire and Heriot finished with vigour to secure maximum points on their big day.
Toko has leapfrogged West Taieri into second place on the ladder with a less-than-convincing 20-10 win over Clutha Valley at Milton.
Toko was lethargic at best in the first half and were lucky that Valley did not offer too much on attack.
Valley scored the opening try and kicked a penalty to lead 10-0 before Toko hit back before halftime.
The 10-5 halftime score seemed to scare Toko in form and they found their stride in the second half with three tries while keeping the visitors scoreless.
By Francis Parker
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Steamers still unbeaten after strong win over Valley
The top four are beginning to create a sizable gap from the chasing pack as the Southern Region competition nears the business end. All the top four sides claimed away wins at the weekend. Some had it easy, but others were made to work hard for their success. The unbeaten Clutha Steamers moved to a 10-game winning streak with a 50-20 win over Clutha Valley at the Balclutha Showgrounds. The home side did not have it all their own way in the first half and actually trailed as the match approached halftime, but a late try gave Clutha a 19-15 lead at the break. Clutha turned around their lethargic start by putting on a clinic of attacking rugby in the second, scoring some nice team tries. Clutha Valley ran out of steam and were not given much of a chance to show their worth in the second half. Toko held on to second place with a clinical 36-26 win over Heriot in the West Otago cold. The first half was an extremely tight affair, and the physicality was immense with both teams running into contact regularly, probably to try to keep warm. The match was tied 14-14 at the break before the visitors made the most of their chances in the second half. Heriot were guilty of some crucial handling errors in the second half and their poor discipline allowed Toko to stay in the right areas of the field and then score points. West Taieri kept in touch with the top two with a 49-14 win over Lawrence at Simpson Park. Lawrence paid the price early for some poor first-up tackling as West Taieri ran out to an early lead. West Taieri's forward pack made inroads, and their backline looked sharp, especially in the outside channels. Lawrence showed glimpses of structure but could only crack the defence once in the first half, and West Taieri led 28-7 at halftime. The second half was equally frustrating for the home side as they continued to give away possession and gift West Taieri territory and possession. This made the visitors' job easy as they ran in another three second-half tries, flanker Conner Jenkins sealing a hat-trick. Crescent converted an 85th-minute penalty to beat Owaka 37-34 at Swamp Hen Park. The first half of the match featured Crescent flexing their muscles with some strong carries and metres made up the middle, and the visitors led 28-17 at halftime before Owaka mounted an all-out assault in the second half. The home side held on to possession for the majority of the half and scored some nice tries. Both teams were guilty of giving away penalties, and the score was 34-34 deep into referee's time before Crescent were awarded the winning penalty. — Francis Parker
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
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.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Crescent control first half
Crescent produced the result of the weekend with a 24-14 win over West Taieri at Kaitangata. Crescent scored two tries inside the opening 10 minutes to assert their control before allowing West Taieri to score one of their own to narrow the gap. West Taieri's discipline let them down badly in the first half as Crescent kicked four penalties with fullback Kairus Booth's radar on point. Crescent went into halftime 24-7 ahead and in control of their own destiny. West Taieri had a mortgage on territory and possession in the second half but came up against a massive defensive effort from the home side. West Taieri attacked for large portions of the half and never really gave Crescent a chance. The only thing stopping the visitors from scoring regularly was a passionate and committed Crescent defence. West Taieri lost battering ram Conor Lawson to a red card in the second half which slowed down their attack. They managed to score one try for their troubles, but it was not enough. Clutha kept their unbeaten run alive and locked away the Art Bloxham Cup for the summer with a hard-fought 22-16 win over Owaka at Swamp Hen Park. The first half was a battle of attrition as the home side looked the more promising on attack. They failed to make their dominance count and were guilty of throwing silly passes on attack which allowed Clutha to clear their lines. Clutha led 7-3 at halftime. The second half saw Clutha hold on to possession better and make metres from broken play. They scored three second-half tries, but Owaka stayed in the match through the boot of second five Sene Te'o. Owaka scored a try at the death to narrow the gap, but the damage had already been done. Heriot capped off their 140th Jubilee celebrations with a strong 37-27 win over Lawrence which saw them lock away the West Otago Shield. Heriot went to width early, found space and room to move in the outside channels. Lawrence's forwards put in an honest shift in the first half and got their side into strong positions. The halftime score was 20-10 to Heriot in front of a packed house at Death Valley. Heriot opted for a more direct approach in the second half as their forwards showed their physical abilities. Lawrence began to tire and Heriot finished with vigour to secure maximum points on their big day. Toko has leapfrogged West Taieri into second place on the ladder with a less-than-convincing 20-10 win over Clutha Valley at Milton. Toko was lethargic at best in the first half and were lucky that Valley did not offer too much on attack. Valley scored the opening try and kicked a penalty to lead 10-0 before Toko hit back before halftime. The 10-5 halftime score seemed to scare Toko in form and they found their stride in the second half with three tries while keeping the visitors scoreless. By Francis Parker
