Two of the three games went against the form guide when round five of premier club rugby was played on Holy Thursday.
Invercargill Blues upset the Eastern Northern Barbarians 24-12 after leading 17-5 at halftime at the Les George Oval.
Blues front rowers Ben Soper and Jeremy Borland were playing their 100th games for the club and both grafted away admirably for 80 minutes each against the strong Barbarians forward pack.
After going winless last season, Blues have now surprised most followers by winning three of their first five games this year.
Star earned a 15-12 win over competition favourites Pirates Old Boys, while Woodlands scored six tries in their 39-13 victory over Marist at Woodlands.
The Barbarians will take Anzac weekend off before resuming on Wednesday, April 30, with a 7.30pm game against Woodlands at the Gore Showgrounds.
• In the division one competition, the Riversdale-Waikaka Vikings beat Te Anau 31-5 under lights in Waikaka. Vikings hooker Nathan Bokser scored two early tries before the backs showcased their flair. Fullback Fabrice Frei and first five-eighth Rowan McKenzie also scored first-half ties to give the Vikings a 24-5 lead. As the night wore on, both sides struggled with their ball-handling in dewy conditions. McKenzie found a gap in the closing stages to score his second try.
Man of the match Fabrice Frei defused all of the high bombs that were sent his way, and made metres each time he found himself in space. Teenage second five-eighth Flynn Reed carried the ball hard into the line and defended strongly, while McKenzie used his experience to hold the team together through the tough patches.
Wyndham beat their near neighbours Edendale 13-10. The first half featured some ferocious defence from both teams which made scoring difficult. The score was locked at 3-3 before both teams scored tries early in the second half. Edendale’s conversion had them ahead 10-8 but Wyndham had the final say in the match with some slick ball skills leading to Max Hill scoring in the corner.
Lock Jack Allison was Wyndham’s best, while prop Oliver Woodrow got stuck in and young Noah Sutton impressed off the bench. Edendale No 8 Arden Knapp put in a big effort, as did prop Kody Crump and second five-eighth Ryan Crump.
The Vikings will be the main entertainment this weekend, during Waikaka’s 125th jubilee celebrations, when they take on unbeaten Wyndham. At Tokanui Jeremy McLeod will be playing his 200th game for Edendale and Ryan Udy will be playing his 100th. Pioneer will host their cross-town rivals Albion.
• In division two, Mataura have a home game against Mossburn.
• In the women’s competition, Pioneer are coming off a heavy defeat to Star, and will try get back on track down at Blues this Saturday. Mataura will host Marist and Albion have the weekend off.
By John Langford
