Roxburgh buoyed by win

ROXBURGH’S forward pack must have got through a few meat pies last weekend.

Whatever the fuel, it certainly worked. Roxburgh upset Clutha 2522 in front of a joyous home crowd.

Clutha is chasing a fifth consecutive title, so it was no small achievement. It was a muchneeded result, as well. It has kept the team firmly in touch with the top four.

The forwards laid the foundation for the shock victory with a robust effort. The home team held the ball for long periods.

Clutha got frustrated and gave up penalties, and its talented backline was starved of possession.

Roxburgh cocoach Shaun Macaskill was reluctant to single anyone out.

‘‘I don’t know how to explain it. We just outmuscled them in the end. The key was just to keep the ball in hand, really.’’

Macaskill said the team was not as surprised by the result as everyone else.

‘‘We’ve got the team to do it, but we’re finally getting the combinations right.’’

Roxburgh certainly has some talent. The van der Voort brothers Blair and Danny played a lot of rugby for Kaikorai and are having a positive impact.

Blair teamed up with Jonty McKinnel in the loose and they snaffled ball and racked up the tackles.

Danny and Logan Moore form a formidable combination in the midfield. They played together at Kaikorai as well, so know each other’s game well.

The front row of Ben Millar, Guy Latham and Andrew Abercrombie were immense, while talented youngster Ethan Kitto is a dangerous outside back.

Roxburgh hosts the winless Clinton this week in the final game of the first round.