Grudge match for White Horse Cup
The wrap
IN the game of the season at the Toolbox with 1000s turned away, Taieri won it with a late penalty from Casey to tip over the highflying GI outfit. Absolute stunner by all accounts and this is what club rugby is all about — can’t believe we have so many in our game trying to destroy this. Varsity finally got a ‘‘W’’ in the column over Zingers as back coach Rugby Roy Hawker flew into town on his white charger to save the day. Harbour dog paddled to the top of the comp when it crushed Zingers by 50. I said last week God would be Dunedin’s saviour against Kaik at the weekend but don’t presuppose with that entity as Hell hath no fury . . .! Kaik crushed Dunedin by 70 to leave it floundering in the bottom four and looking to claim the wooden spoon.
Speaking of the hapless Sharks
SO not only do they get crushed by 70 by Kaik at the Sandpit on Saturday, they of course had to shout for the jubilant Kaik supporters who couldn’t keep the beaming smiles off their faces. But the Sharks had the last laugh when the heavies from Kaik wanted to watch champion mare Winx go round in the Queen Elizabeth stakes in her last career outing. The Sharks are so poor these days they don’t even own a flatscreen TV or a Sky decoder. So the Kaik heavies had to watch the race on their phones and use their own data as the destitute Sharks can’t even afford WiFi. But let’s be honest, it was scant satisfaction in the face of such a giant shellacking! Even the ‘‘Pinnacle’’ RSCN was smiling after the game even though he threatened me with lawyer’s letters prior to kick off!
The White Horse is back
SO the big game this Saturday (possibly the only game) is the Arrowtown Bulls up against Wakatip at high noon at Jack Reid Park. Not only is it the biggest grudge match in the comp — it is for the White Horse and Arrowtown is celebrating its 30th anniversary. So I give you the tip, it will be big. The Bulls are unbeaten but have had the Matak bye and could be underdone. Wakatip is unbeaten but has had a draw with playingthrough champ Upper Clutha so will be primed to snatch the famous trophy. I’ve got to be there so will be shooting a video for ODT Rugby Chat so look out for that over Easter weekend. It’s nearly too close to call but I’ll go with home side as I want to shoot some footage from inside its flash new multimilliondollar clubrooms after the game. Get along if you can at as this is country rugby at its finest. I can’t wait!
Skulduggery in the Country
I’m hearing rumours of a serious incident in an opengrade game up at Strath Taieri in the weekend. I hear one of the old stalwart Country refs, Pete McGregor, may have been knocked to the ground by a charging player after the aforesaid player had been penalised for throwing a punch which did not connect. The other club may have been of the coastal variety south of Dunners. Let’s hope it’s not as bad as rumoured because we certainly don’t need this sort of unsavoury behaviour in our game.
What’s happening tonight?
NOW I was up against Sneds, Dunedin’s best builder, last weekend. There was lots riding on the outcome — reputation, integrity, loss of social standing and, most of all, money. Since I had to take the Sharks I was behind it from the off. The tension was palpable as we waited for the final score to come through from the Toolbox in that titanic struggle. Don’t know why I was worried as Sneds was cast aside like 1000s of others. But on to our new comp in which I battle with the wily props of the prem sides. I’ll run a running tally of the total points and, if the props win (an unlikely scenario), the Alehouse and Speight’s will shout them a night out. What the hell, we might shout anyway!
Varsity (12) travels out to Elver Pit to take on the Eels. It will be close but the Varsity pack may just get it home but nearly too close to call. Up on the High Veldt Kaik (13+) on current form should crush Zingers even though it is used to playing at altitude. Southern (13+) is coming off the bye and will be too fresh for AU at the Pony Pit. The GI Spannerheads are heading out to the beach where they normally rust and seize up but the way the Sharks (12) are travelling and with their dearth of tight forwards (all injured) GI could mount a cricket score. But I’m the eternal optimist so somehow Sharks just. Have a safe Easter.
P.S. Are you as worried as me about Spark streaming the World Cup. Do we get simple instructions with our $60 on streaming. If we get streaming can we delete the bad commentators? Think back to the Comm Games!