Home win keeps Southern unbeaten
Southern United made it two wins from two at the weekend defeating an in-form Putaruru side 44-23 in their first home game of the season.
In what is always a battle between the teams, it was the hosts who bagged the allimportant competition points while also earning the early South Waikato bragging rights over their rivals.
The scoreline proved to be a fair indication of how the contest went although Southern were pushed throughout the match by a gutsy Putaruru outfit, who fell to their first defeat of the season.
The opening 10 minutes saw Surf grab the early advantage when loose forward James Sutherland and young winger Josh Barber both crossed for tries.
Sutherland was in again for his second try midway through the first half, but it was lock Henry Young who provided the highlight of the half showcasing his skills in an excellent solo effort to give his side a commanding 22-6 halftime lead.
An early Putaruru penalty in the second spell closed the gap momentarily as Surf’s second five Sonny Goodnight continued to threaten the visitor’s defence with every touch and was rewarded when he crashed over soon after.
With time becoming a factor, Putaruru refused to give in as they managed to breach the Southern defensive line with two well-constructed tries late in the match before replacement Bryan Cameron rumbled over in reply for the home side.
Surf’s player of the match Zane Costar completed his superb outing with an illusive run close to the line as he sidestepped his way past the defence to score under the posts two minutes from time.
There was also similar success for Surf’s senior B team who picked up a 35- 25 bonus point victory over Putaruru in another physical encounter.
Southern will be aiming to continue their hot start to the season when they face a tough challenge away at United Matamata Sports next weekend while Putaruru will host Leamington.