Coach remains upbeat
Stratford-Eltham coach Ross Williams has opted to pick the positives out of last weekend’s opening round loss to defending Taranaki premier rugby champions New Plymouth Old Boys.
Top of the list of positives he had taken away was his belief the nine players he fielded on debut would have taken some valuable lessons about the level they need to reach to be competitive with the top sides. “We didn’t alter our attack as the pictures evolved across the game,” Williams said after the 27-3 loss. “The young guys would have learnt plenty from the physicality Old Boys brought, and what’s required at this level each week.”
Things do not appear any easier for Stratford-Eltham this weekend as they prepare to face an equally impressive Southern side at Hicks Park in Hāwera.
Southern opened its campaign with a solid 19-5 away win against Clifton.
“Southern are a great side with a very strong squad, so I’m not only expecting a big challenge on Saturday, but also a response from our crew,” Williams said.
“The beauty of rugby is we only have a week, and we get another chance to show we have learnt some lessons.”
It’s not known if Blues squad member Meihana Grindlay would be available for Southern after he came off the bench in Tikorangi last weekend having appeared for the club’s division one team in the curtain-raiser.
Elsewhere, Old Boys host Tukapa in the traditional cross-city rivalry at Vogeltown Park. Recent results have fallen in Old Boys’ favour, including a 79-12 blowout last season.
Old Boys co-coach Hamish Mitchell said the rivalry was still present, despite the recent run of form.
“There certainly have been some cracking games over the years.”
He believed Tukapa had recruited strongly in the off-season, and were a balanced team with a strong forward presence and some “wheels in the backline”.
Mitchell’s main goal for the week was to see his team continue to develop.
“We will need to improve greatly across multiple facets of our game to be in the hunt this week,” he warned.
Inglewood was likely to start favourite when they host Clifton at TET Stadium after an opening round win away against Spotswood United. Coach Gavin Muir said the Inglewood team still had plenty to work on despite enjoying a positive first 40 minutes of the season.
The remaining match has Coastal at home to Spotswood United at the Rahotu Domain. The home team impressed in their opening round win over Tukapa with plenty of threats across the park.
All matches kick off today at 2.45pm.