West Taieri took just the 18 players to Lawrence and showed their ability, scoring five first-half tries to lead the match 35-7 at halftime. Lawrence managed to keep the visitors scoreless for the opening 20 minutes of the second half before West Taieri finally breached their defences with four further tries. Lawrence finished well with a late consolation try and showed they can play for the duration, West Taieri were just too strong, and they took maximum points from this potential banana peel match heading into the duck-shooting break.
Clutha Valley have returned from the bye with an absolute hiss and a roar. Valley travelled to Milton and put on a show, defeating Toko 52-5 in a match which they controlled from the outset. The visitors opened the scoring in the first minute and continued their dominance throughout. Valley attacked with purpose, forced mistakes on defence, and made hundreds of metres in the outside channels. Valley halves Jared Edwards and Thomas Johnson ran amok and led their side to an impressive victory. Valley’s bench added the impact required to keep the tempo high and Toko did not fire a shot. Toko were architects of their own demise at times but were never really allowed to play at all.
Crescent has beaten Clinton 19-12 in a tight contest in Kaitangata. Crescent led the match 19-0 at the break and were in control up until then. Clinton fought their way back into the match in the second half and piled all sorts of pressure on the home side who crumbled and let their discipline get away on them. Crescent received three yellow cards which allowed Clinton to play with an extra man for half an hour. Crescent’s tenacity on defence showed and they managed to hold on to the win despite Clinton throwing absolutely everything at them in the second half. Lee Allan, Kace Shaw and Mananui Keane were instrumental for the home side in this match.
Clutha has defended the Speights Jug at the first time of asking with a 43-19 win over Heriot at Clutha. The home side played into the wind in the first half and controlled the match well. Clutha scored four first-half tries which included a double to No 8 Kael Merrett to lead 24-7 at the half. Heriot came back into the match in the second half as Clutha failed to execute. Heriot’s hot-and-cold passages of play hindered their chances as they spurned too many strong opportunities to score points. Clutha finally got their act together and finished Heriot off with some late tries and secured the five points.
— Francis Parker
