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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Topp win spices up predictions
Central Otago lock Dean Sinnamon beats South Otago defender Sam Stratford to score a try during the Topp Cup game in Alexandra on Saturday. PHOTO: RICHARD JONES With the top three teams playing the bottom three, the outcome of tomorrow's encounters in the Central Otago premier club competition appear easy to forecast. Front-runners Upper Clutha will tackle Cromwell at Anderson Park, having beaten them 59-28 in the first round; Wakatipu will tangle with Matakanui Combined at Queenstown, after winning their first clash 45-21; and Alexandra will host Arrowtown at Molyneux Park, having beaten them 32-21 two months ago. While all that makes for predictable forecasting, spice has been added to the competition following the thrilling Topp Cup victory by Central Region at Alexandra last weekend. Intriguingly, the Central starting 15 included only two players from Upper Clutha, who won the Central Otago title in 2024 and who have lost only five of their last 45 contests. The Upper Clutha representatives in the starting 15 were No 8 Jake Burtenshaw, who contributed mightily to Central's 41-38 victory, and hooker Scott Cunningham. Their colleagues were five players from Wakatipu, four from Alexandra, two from Matakanui Combined and one each from Maniototo and Cromwell. Even on the reserves bench Upper Clutha were outnumbered, having just one representative there, centre Oliver Stirling, alongside three players from Cromwell, two from Wakatipu and one each from Arrowtown and Alexandra. Adding additional punch to tomorrow's game at the Queenstown Recreation Ground is the presence of Dean Sinnamon, who romped off with the Topp Cup man of the match award after scoring three tries and dominating in the lineout. He is, by the way, Central's leading try-scorer this season, with seven touchdowns from as many matches, an amazing statistic given his team is bottom of the competition. Matakanui Combined are coming off a handsome victory, 42-24 against Arrowtown, their first win since 2023. It is unlikely they will seriously trouble high-flying Wakatipu, given the magical touches and extreme pace demonstrated by players such as Rube Peina, Jamie Natapu and Conor Hamlin in the Topp Cup, but expect Matakanui Combined to be competitive in the scrums and lineouts .. . and see if Wakatipu can stop Sinnamon scoring a try (as they did in the first round).
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Mudfish break drought with win
Matakanui caused the upset of the round when they toppled Arrowtown in the Central premier rugby competition. Running away with their first victory since 2023, Matakanui defeated Arrowtown 42-29 at Omakau on Saturday. It was a big occasion for the Mudfish, who recognised captain Dean Sinnamon's 100th game at home — which he played the week before away against Alexandra — and Sinnamon scored two tries in the romp. It was a big turnaround from their clash seven weeks ago when Arrowtown, who were also the last team Matakanui beat, ran away with a big 66-15 victory. Alexandra made the trip to Cromwell and returned home with a 40-26 win against the Goats. All the talk had been about Cromwell's vaunted scrum, which has been pushing teams around the park all season. But Alexandra were up for the challenge, putting in an almighty heave at their set piece and shifted Cromwell off the ball. All of a sudden Alexandra had two tries to show for it and were away. Centre Tyler Ford dotted down twice in the opening two minutes and converted his team's five tries to finish with a haul of 20 points. Cromwell scored two late tries through Peni Delai and Mitchell Condon to bring the scoreline back slightly. Alexandra (30 points) now sit second, giving themselves a little breathing room between them and third place Wakatipu (22 points). The Upper Clutha Rams, who are top of the table with 31 points, sealed a 28-14 victory against Maniototo to cap off their 12th jubilee celebrations. There was a bumper turn out for the clash and celebrations and winger Ulysse Martineau scored twice for the Rams The victory means the White Horse Trophy will stay with the Wanaka-based team. Alexandra are home to Wakatipu this weekend, Arrowtown will host the Upper Clutha Rams and Maniototo will face Cromwell. — APL
