North Otago Rugby Review

Athletic Marist and Old Boys will meet in the Citizens Shield rugby final next Saturday after Athletic Marist beat Maheno, 43-24 and Old Boys downed Valley 19-17 after Valley led 17-12 at halftime.

Old Boys star first five eighth Ben Patston put Old Boys on attack with a superbly judged kick to the Valley line. Valley lost the lineout and Old Boys moved the ball wide and from the next phase second five eighth Lemi Masoe scored an unconverted try. Five minutes later Valley replied from its own 22. Billy Guyton broke the defence, winger Nick Webster shrugged off tacklers down the sideline before play broke down close to the Old Boys scrum. From the resulting scrum and maul lock Dave Simpson scored the first of his two tries with Mark Roney adding the conversion to give Valley a 7-5 lead.  Accurate kicking from Patston put Valley under pressure and from a maul Old Boys number eight, Eti Tofaga scored for Patston to convert and put Old Boys into a 12-7 lead. Valley hit back quickly when a chip kick from Webster saw Old Boys winger Harry Masoe and fullback Ofa Fatafehi blow the clearance and Valley lock Dan Conlan scored an unconverted try to make it 12 all.

Right on halftime Simpson Valley’s outstanding player touched down for an unconverted try to give Valley its 17-12 halftime lead.

The second half was marred by a multitude of errors and it was Patston who broke the deadlock when from a scrum he found a gap on the blindside and touched down close to the posts and convert his own try to put Old Boys back into the final 19-17 score line.

Athletic Marist which had dropped only one game during the season had to hold out a resolute Maheno side in the second half for its convincing 43-24 win. Athletic dominated the game territorially in the first half and after seven minutes winger Ofa Fatai scored the first of his side’s seven tries. A break from halfway saw by Athletic saw flanker Dylan Winter score to give Athletic a 10-0 lead. In the 22nd minute Athletic midfielder Faiatu Tuamoheloa used his pace and power to  score and convert.

Athletic prop Simi Vai was yellow carded just before halftime and Maheno got on the board with a try to flanker Ryan Long, his first of three, which Michael Hore converted to make it 17-7 at halftime.

Hore added an early second half penalty to make it 17-10 before Athletic right winger Sione Pangata scored the first of his two tries to make it 22-10.Twenty minutes of meandering rugby was broken when Athletics’ loose forward Ulisoni Tahitua ambled over from a ruck for replacement five eighth Ed Keohane to convert. Long scored his second try which Hore converted to keep Maheno’s hopes alive but these hopes were quickly extinguished with tries to Athletic fullback Jon Sinclair and Pangata both of which were converted by Keohane. Long added his third try in the dying stages with Hore adding the conversion.