Club rugby front-runners stretch their advantage
Harlequins' loosie Falaula Fotu Moala carries hard during today's clash with Waitohi at Lansdowne Park. Photos Peter Jones.
The favourites continued to pile on the pressure during the latest round of Marlborough senior A rugby today.
The three teams at the top of the competition table - Renwick, Waitohi and Moutere – all scored comfortable wins as the gap widens between them and the rest of the field.
Defending champs Waitohi flexed their muscles against bottom-placed Harlequins on the lush surface of Lansdowne Park number one, running away with their clash 52-12. Leading the way was elusive fullback Couper Robinson, loosie Shein Ioramo, No 8 Campbell Hart and halfback Ryan McLeod.
Loosie Falaula Fotu Moala and hooker Kava Pomare-Namoa were prominent for Quins.
It was Awatere club day at Seddon but Renwick showed no favours to the local side, winning 31-12 to maintain their place at the top of the table, scoring five tries to the Tussocks’ two.
The third senior A match was played at Awarua Park, where the Magpies underlined their title credentials with a 33-13 win over Pelorus, Oscar Tupouto’a scoring a double for the home side.
Central beaten
Meanwhile, the Central premier side’s recent surge in form was abruptly ended at Trafalgar Park in Nelson, Marist overwhelming the Blues 66-24. The title-favourites scored 10 tries to Central’s four.
In other games, Nelson downed Stoke 36-21 and Waimea Old Boys beat Kahurangi 27-19.
At Awarua Park, Moutere women took on Nelson in a women’s Tasman Trophy match, winning 37-10 in a match reduced to a 10-a-side clash.
College rugby
The Marlborough Boys’ College First XV claimed their first competition win this season, downing Christ’s College 52-29 in Christchurch.
Tries flowed freely in this encounter. Both sides scored three five-pointers in the first half, MBC leading 19-17 at oranges.
Play see-sawed through the early stages of the second spell, MBC holding a slender 33-29 lead after an hour before clinching a much-needed victory with three late tries, two converted by first five Thomas Heagney, who landed six conversions.
The match doubled as both a Miles Toyota premiership encounter and a South Island Boys School clash.