Valley went into halftime 8-0 ahead, after Owaka was denied a try on the brink of halftime.
The travelling Swamp Hens scored straight after the break, which started a period of dominance for them in the match.
Poor option-taking in the final third had Owaka remain scoreless for the remainder of the match.
Valley scored two tries late in the latter stages of the half to extend the score.
Both sets of loose forwards were outstanding for their sides. Valley flanker Jonny Sargent was immense over the ball and secured plenty of turnovers. Liam Turnbull and Damian Wilson were equally as dangerous. Dave Woodrow and Ieru Leteu had strong games for Owaka, both at the breakdown and around the park. Todd McCammon played well for Valley on the wing. Kasio Ulufale and Jonty Sopp were the pick of Owaka’s backs.
West Taieri scored a clutch penalty after the whistle to beat a determined Heriot side 28-27 at Outram.
Heriot was the stronger side for the majority of the match but could not close out the victory.
Heriot’s forward pack had some very strong carries and massive collisions at the breakdown. Heriot’s tactical kicking put it in the right areas of the field.
West Taieri looked good when it kept the ball tight and its defence was good.
The home side was served well up front by captain Conor Beaton and prop Ethan Hippolite, who put in tidy shifts in the pack. Centre Haughton Gilbert was a danger with ball in hand.
Heriot pivot Logan Cornish ran the cutter superbly and was a big factor in Heriot’s effort. Nick Hayes and Mark McKenzie were immense up front.
Crescent retained the Eddie Scott Memorial Trophy with a tight 25-22 win over Toko at Milton.
The home side opened the scoring to the delight of the large club day crowd, but Crescent took the advantage into the halftime break 17-10 with three first-half tries.
A tight second half followed with Crescent just keeping its nose in front and taking a hard-fought win. Crescent co-captain Andy Carruthers made plenty of metres with the ball.
Josh Cook and Brendan Irwin were also strong in the pack. Harley McHardy, in his 150th match, controlled things well before succumbing to injury.
Toko was well served up front by hooker Kieran Calteaux, who looks to be returning to his best. Calteaux was strong at set piece and carried well. Nic Shaw was the pick of Toko’s backs and Jacky Scott made a much-needed impact off the bench.
Clutha returned from its two weeks off with an emphatic 81-5 win over Roxburgh at Clutha. The home side was dominant from start to finish. Clutha’s forwards set a solid platform before the backs let loose out wide. Roxburgh’s basics let it down and it turned over too much possession.
Centre Robin Fesilafai helped himself to five tries and was extremely dangerous on the ball. Dallas Kupa-Pickering at first five-eighth and fullback Sene Te’o were also very tidy. Roxburgh lock Campbell Tait gave everything he had and was the best on the field for his side.
- Francis Parker
