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Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Excelsior dominate Athletic Marist despite messy start in heavy rain
Winter was in full swing in North Otago on Saturday as wet and windy conditions welcomed all six teams back after they had last weekend off. Part two of the Battle of the Carpark featured Excelsior beating Athletic Marist 27-5. The opening 20 minutes were messy from both sides as heavy rain made handling the ball tough. Once it started to clear up, Blues were able to string some phases together in Athletic's territory. Quick recycled ball allowed Tasilisili Ika to crash over in the corner. Excelsior were hot on attack a few minutes later when Josh Phipps calmly dropped back in to the pocket and slotted a drop goal to give his side a double-digit lead. They continued to dominate possession and territory but could not crack the strong Athies defence. However, Phipps was able to keep adding points off the tee as he nailed four penalty kicks at goal to give Blues a 22-0 lead with 15 minutes to play. A sliver of hope was offered to Athies when a messy exit from Blues was hacked through by Athies, who won a penalty, giving them a great attacking opportunity. They tapped it quickly and their forwards went to work. Alifereti Matirewa scored to keep their hopes alive. However, Alfie Coop did not get the chance to kick the conversion as the referee ruled he had taken a step forward, allowing Blues to rush up and knock it off the tee before he got there. It did not matter in the end as hooker Hozayah Taylor scored off the back of a driving maul to clinch the win for Excelsior. It was a gutsy effort from Blues in the wet, and they were led by Phipps and halfback Tyron Davies. The pair drove their team around the park and made good decisions all day. Fullback Liam Direen has also quietly strung together an impressive season in the back three. Valley have now won six in a row and find themselves on top of the table after beating Old Boys 22-19. It was not all smooth sailing as they trailed 19-7 at halftime. They really kicked into gear in the second 40, scoring three unanswered tries and keeping Old Boys scoreless. Maheno beat Kurow 27-17 for their first win of the year. It has been a tough season for the green machine, but they have continued to front up and finally got the rewards on Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Athies ramp it up in second half to romp to 46-18 win
Savenaca Rabaka. PHOTO: NIC DUFF Athletic Marist turned up the heat in the second half to romp to a 46-18 victory in a top-of-the-table Citizens Shield clash on Saturday. They were in second place on the ladder heading into the weekend with their opponents, Old Boys, in first place. The first half certainly lived up to the hype of a clash of titans. Both sides defended well and also showed some attacking flair. Athies were ahead just 10-6 at the break but the floodgates opened in the second half. They scored their first in the opening five minutes of the half. They chewed off metres with strong carry after strong carry, and eventually it was Paia Fifita who bashed his way over. Old Boys won the ball back from the restart and looked to spin it wide. However, Aitauangaa Osamu intercepted the ball and sprinted 60m to score. Athies extended their lead further after a messy lineout in the Old Boys 22m resulted in a breakdown turnover and Savenaca Rabaka pounced on it to score. Epeineri Logavatu was the next to get his name on the scoresheet when halfback Seru Cavuilati spied some space down the blind side and gave it to the big lock. Logavatu stepped out of one tackle and had enough to pace to score. He completed a double not too long after. First five Alfie Coop kicked a 50-22 to give Athies another attacking opportunity. From the ensuing lineout, Logavatu was left alone and ran through a gap. He bust through the final defender and scored. Two late tries to Old Boys prop Sione Tukala off the bench helped close the gap but Athies ran in one more through Saia Fifita to end the match with authority. Despite Athies scoring nearly 50 points, the most impressive part of their win was their defence. Old Boys had numerous attacking opportunities in Athies' 22m but they stood strong each time. There was no secret ingredient, either — they just fronted up and made their tackles. Captain Rabaka was again outstanding and is arguably the form player of the entire competition. The other two games were played on Thursday night to allow the country teams to head away duck-shooting. Excelsior blitzed Maheno 66-23, scoring 40 points in the second half. Valley kept pace with the top teams after an impressive 34-14 win over Kurow. The Red Devils led 14-12 at halftime but the home side could not score another point as Valley turned up the pressure.
