Chill means only the most loyal see Wakatipu's big win

Wakatipu's player of the day, Shaun McCone,  makes a break during his team's 54-0 try-fest over...
Wakatipu's player of the day, Shaun McCone, makes a break during his team's 54-0 try-fest over Cromwell B in Queenstown on Saturday. Photo by Tracey Roxburgh.
Only the staunchest of Wakatipu rugby supporters braved the cold on Saturday afternoon to watch the 2012 champion side take apart Cromwell B in the final game of the first round of the 2013 tournament.

Captain Regan Pearce described it as a 80-minute ''try-fest''. The final score was 54-0.

''To be honest, I would rather it have been called off ... no disrespect to Cromwell B, but the punishment they've been dished out lately isn't justifying the competition.

''One week we'll have a team like Arrowtown or Maniototo, or a White Horse Cup challenge ... against Upper Clutha, where we got it by one, and the next we're playing a div two side and we're putting 80 points on them.''

This year all premier and division two teams have been in the same pool, playing a round-robin tournament for the first round.

Teams have now been separated into the top and bottom six for the second round. While the draw was to be confirmed, Pearce believed Wakatipu would travel to Cromwell to take on Cromwell A on Saturday.

A scheduled game between Arrowtown and Maniototo on Saturday was cancelled due to the weather and each team was awarded two points.

On Saturday, Wakatipu was awarded the Vincent Shield for topping the table -as the only undefeated side - after the first round.

''It was bloody good [to get that]. One of the goals at the start of the season was go to top in the first round.

''It's been a big effort.''

Several games had been close.

''To be honest, we probably haven't deserved to have won some of those games ... It's going to be interesting in the top six. We'll see what happens,'' he said.

Of Saturday's performance, Pearce said his team played well, despite the difficult rugby conditions and Shaun McCone put in a player-of-the-day performance.

Arrowtown coach Hayden Finch described the weekend as a ''shambles''.

The Bulls' game against Maniototo, to have been played in Ranfurly, was cancelled due to the road conditions, meaning each team was awarded two points.

However, after Clyde defaulted to Cromwell A on Saturday morning, the latter team was awarded five points - putting it in second place, ahead of Arrowtown, on the table.

Because Wakatipu played its game, the defending champion gained maximum points and had bolted ahead of the other sides in the top six on points.

''I'm a bit sick of it, really,'' Finch said.

''I definitely am trying to understand why the whole round wasn't just cancelled.

''Two games were cancelled, one was defaulted and the other two went ahead.

''It just seems odd that only two games were played.''

As of yesterday morning, the teams still had not been told what the draw was for this weekend.

''It would be nice to know who we're playing - if we've got a White Horse Cup challenge, or a home game, or if we need to organise a bus.''

Finch said teams had also not been told if the points from the first round would carry over, or be scrapped.

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