The race for the semifinals in the Citizens Shield is starting to heat up.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season,
Valley and Excelsior remain in the top two spots after wins over Maheno and Athletic Marist respectively.
Old Boys leaped into fourth spot on the table with a crucial 39-31 win over Kurow.
The two teams traded converted tries in the first half and Old Boys were able to take a seven-point lead into the sheds.
Kurow scored twice early in the second half to wrestle back the lead.
The Red Devils’ second try was a thing of beauty. From a scrum just inside their own half, they spun it wide to Lucas Ollion, who chewed off 40m before being brought down.
From the ruck, Hayden Parker put boot to ball with a pinpoint cross kick to Suli Tuivailala, who beat his man to score.
Tini Feke then scored his second try to close the gap before Old Boys took the lead back with some flair of their own.
An overthrow on a lineout just 5m out from the Old Boys line spoiled a golden opportunity for Kurow.
From there, Old Boys chewed off metres with strong carries. Then they spun the ball wide and Mavaetangi Finau was able to stab a kick through into space.
Fellow winger Will Clapham was there to scoop up the ball and pass it inside to Feke, who beat the final defender to complete his hat-trick.
Tom Lee and Parker then traded penalties in the final minutes of the match.
Lee made a big statement to push for higher honours with an impressive performance in the No10 jersey for Old Boys.
No 8, Fakatoufifita, was also massive throughout. He was solid in defence and a handful with ball in hand.
At Weston, Valley continued its perfect campaign with another bonus-point win.
The home side ran in 10 tries in a dominant 66-33 victory over Maheno.
Valley’s forward pack, led by Sam Sturgess, put in another solid shift, while midfielder Ben Paton completed a hat-trick.
Two late tries from Maheno brought back some respectability to the scoreline.
Excelsior made it two from two in the battle of the carpark with a narrow 33-30 win over Athletic Marist.
Being down at halftime was not a concern for Athies who, as they have done all season, upped their game in the second 40.
They came close to completing the upset but fell just short.
