Lochore Cup
GREYMOUTH: A highly motivated West Coast XV took top spot in the Lochore Cup with a decisive 35-17 win over North Otago at Rugby Park on Saturday. West Coast went into the game four points in arrears of North Otago and only needed to win to claim the top position but a late try in the last 60 seconds gave West Coast the vital bonus point which put it a point ahead of North Otago and King Country, which had beaten West Coast the previous week.
Lochore Cup Rugby
North Otago cemented a home semi final with its 29-14 win over Buller at Whitestone Contracting stadium on Saturday.But it was not a done deal until the 66th minute of the game when in the space of seven minutes North Otago scored two tries to go clear.Buller won the toss and gave North Otago first use of the strong southerly, a tactic which appeared to bear fruit when Buller went to halftime with just a two point deficit.
Heartland Rugby
Outscrummed, outjumped in the lineouts and outflanked in the loose and thus beaten at the breakdowns, North Otago was outplayed by a highly motivated Mid Canterbury team which took the game,30-21 at the Ashburton Showgrounds on Saturday and thus a place in the Meads Cup playoffs. North Otago’s loss means it is relegated to the Lochore Cup where it will play in this order, East Coast(Oamaru), Buller(Oamaru) and top qualifier West Coast in Greymouth.
