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Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Century of shield battles for seaside rivals
Scott Powell and John Vili with the Falton Shield after New Brighton's win in 2017. PHOTO: GETTY A hundred years of rugby history will be celebrated on Saturday when Sumner and New Brighton clash for the Falton Shield. The trophy, contested annually between the two seaside clubs, marks its 100th anniversary this weekend. The first match was won by New Brighton in 1925. New Brighton head coach Scott Pawson, who played in the fixture during the late 1990s, now leads the club's premier side and knows exactly what the rivalry means. 'Any time I play in a game or coach a game, I make sure our guys know the history of it. 'The games I played in were huge, close games. I can't recall a game that was a massive blowout. 'It's always very close physical games, and it will be the same on the weekend,' Pawson said. Sumner life member and current division 2 coach Robbie Timo has his own fond memories of Falton Shield clashes. 'It was lost for a few years in their offices. I think it was 1978 or 1979 until 1991 or 1992 – they were clearing it out and they found the shield in the back. "They brought it down and said, 'we're playing for the shield', and I remember going into the shed and saying, 'we're grabbing that shield today', and we won 9-3.' Another standout memory for Timo came in 1996. 'We were playing at Rawhiti and there was a real low-lying fog. It was so cold and we managed to win., It was really cool because it was just fog all around you.' Despite the two teams' contrasting fortunes this season – New Brighton sit top of the table with four bonus-point wins, while Sumner are winless in 11th – Pawson expects a tough battle. 'Games like this bring out a different beast and I know their coaches will be making sure they are primed for this. 'The reward is competition points, but also that shield, and it does mean a lot to both clubs.' Now colloquially known as the 'Seaside Shield', New Brighton are the current holders after a 20–7 win last year. The other matches on Saturday see University of Canterbury – behind New Brighton only on points difference – visit Belfast, while third-place HSOB play Christchurch. DCL Shield holders Linwood take on Marist Albion, who dispatched Belfast 71-19 on Saturday. Sydenham also host Burnside and Shirley will take on Lincoln University. Metro Rugby Points New Brighton 20; Canty Uni 20; HSOB 17; Marist Albion 15; Linwood 14; Burnside 10; Lincoln Uni 9; Sydenham 8; Christchurch 6; Belfast 6; Sumner 3; Shirley 2
Otago Daily Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Absences can't stop University's winning ways
University of Canterbury first-five James White may be in line for a promotion to the Crusaders after Taha Kemara's injury. PHOTO: ISAAC NOKES Despite missing key players and their head coach, the University of Canterbury continues to find ways to win in the Metro rugby competition. They defeated Lincoln University 52-17 on Saturday, even with three players away on New Zealand under-20 duty and head coach Daniel O'Brien in Thailand for his sister's wedding. Lock Jake Frost also suffered a broken arm during the match and will miss most of the season. Adding to the uncertainty, captain and first-five James White could be called into the Crusaders squad following Taha Kemara's injury. Halfback and backs coach Jared Mitchell, who stepped in as head coach, said the match was tougher than the score suggested. 'We only had 39% possession and territory and managed to score 50 points, so that's always a good thing,' he said. The win also saw University reclaim the Hart-O'Reilly Trophy, contested between the two varsity teams, after losing it 31-26 to Lincoln last season. University will face Sydenham this weekend, with O'Brien back in charge – though several key players will still be sidelined. Mitchell is expecting a tough contest. 'I would expect them to be much the same as they have been. They always have a good pack and they try and rumble you around. They've had some pretty exciting outsides as well, so they can hit you from anywhere.' Elsewhere, Linwood held onto the DCL Shield after a 36-29 win over Shirley. They will defend it again this weekend against New Brighton, who are tied with University on competition points but trail on points difference. Lincoln University will aim to bounce back against Belfast, who impressed despite a 42-29 loss to Burnside. Shirley meet Burnside, HSOB face Marist Albion and Christchurch host Sumner with all matches taking place on Saturday. Metro rugby points University 15; New Brighton 15; HSOB 12; Marist Albion 10; Burnside 10; Linwood 9; Sydenham 7; Christchurch 6; Belfast 6; Lincoln Uni 5; Sumner 2; Shirley 2
Otago Daily Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Big weekend of club sport ahead
Christchurch United are aiming to keep their unbeaten record intact in the Southern League on Thursday night when they face Universities - the same team they beat 5-0 in Monday's English Cup first round. Meanwhile, Cashmere Tech will meet Nelson Suburbs, with both sides hoping to rebound from disappointing results. Tech drew 3-3 with Nomads, while Suburbs lost to Dunedin City Royals. Selwyn travel to Wanaka, Ferrymead Bays host Dunedin City, and Coastal Spirit play Nomads. Two Southern League sides were dumped out of the knockout English Cup in the first round. Universities lost to United and Selwyn were upset 3-2 by second-tier Western. Advancing to the quarterfinals were Nomads (14-0 over Parklands, the club's biggest-ever win), Ferrymead Bays (8-0 over Burwood), Coastal Spirit (2-0 over Oxford), Halswell United (2-1 over FC Twenty 11), and Waimakariri United (1-0 over St Albans Shirley). Cashmere Tech had a first-round bye. Netball In the Premier 1 netball competition, defending champions Lincoln University A got off to a poor start, going down 54-50 to Kereru A at the Christchurch Netball Centre on Monday. The scores were tied, 40-40 at the end of the third quarter, before Kereru pulled ahead late. Last year's runners-up Technical A got up over Lincoln University B 57-46, while St Nicholas A beat Kereru B 61-43 and Hearts St Peter's won 51-33 over Belfast A. Kereru A and Technical will meet in a bumper clash next week, while Lincoln University A will look to pick themselves up against Hearts St Peter's. Kereru B play Belfast while St Nicholas meets Lincoln University B. Rugby After taking a break for Easter, the Metro rugby competition resumes at 2.45pm on Saturday. New DCL Shield holders Linwood will put the trophy on the line away at winless Shirley who have lost to Marist Albion and Christchurch so far. Top-of-the-table and unbeaten New Brighton face Christchurch, who sit fourth after a narrow loss to Belfast and a win over Shirley. The other unbeaten team, Canterbury University, host Lincoln University in a varsity clash at Ilam Fields. The other matches see HSOB play Sydenham, Belfast host Burnside and Marist Albion are away to Sumner.
