The Rugby South Region final is contested by Clutha and Clutha Valley, after two intense semi-finals were played this weekend.
In the first semifinal at the Balclutha Showgrounds, host Clutha defeated Toko 29-17, after leading 12-9 at halftime.
Toko started the match in a promising way, the game plan worked perfectly.
Toko thundered through the middle with his strong attackers, until it forced Clutha to give away defensive penalties.
This worked wonders as Toko took an early 6-0 lead thanks to Bradley Frost’s in-form boot.
Clutha scored the first try of the game via flanker Jayden Dovey shortly after the second penalty to narrow the scores.
Frost converted another penalty and gave Toko a 9-5 lead halfway through the first half.
Towards the end of the half, it appeared that Toko had changed tactics, the team had two shots on target and headed for the lineout. Both times this was a bad decision by the team.
Clutha managed to string together a few phases in the final phase of the first half and was rewarded on the stroke of half time when midfielder Paul Papalii cleverly crossed the chalk to the posts.
The second half of the game was a breeze, with some bizarre phone calls that left players and supporters confused.
Neither side was able to build any kind of momentum, making the match a free-for-all at times.
Clutha opened the scoring in the second half before losing a player to the sin-bin, which allowed Toko to hit back and equalize at 17-17.
Toko’s inability to win his own lineout cost him dearly, as Clutha frequently turned the defense into a positive field position.
This continued pressure and momentum eventually resulted in Toko’s defenses crumbling with two late attempts by Clutha.
Clutha Valley takes on Clutha this coming weekend with a chance to defend its title after a close-run 18-13 win over Crescent in Clydevale.
Valley had most of the territory and possession in the first half in an extremely physical affair. The home side opened the scoring via captain Jordan Willocks, who scored his side’s lone try, albeit dominating.
Crescent’s defense was excellent and it fended off numerous attacks from the Valley side.
Crescent also made the most of limited time in Valley’s half in the opening spell with two penalties for Chase Owen.
Against the course of events, Crescent took a small 6-5 lead at halftime.
Valley opened the scoring with an attempt to lock in Mike Blair in the second half before Crescent scored via prop Lester Papalii.
This try was converted by Owen when Crescent took a one-run lead.
The game ebbed and flowed towards the end of the game, Valley took the lead with a dropped goal from Brayden Wilson while he had penalty advantage.
The lead was then extended again with a penalty for Thomas Johnson.
A failed eviction late in the game gave Crescent one last chance to score and possibly win the game, but Valley’s defense held out and it took the win.
The bottom four final will be played as a cross to next weekend’s final and will be between West Taieri and Heriot, who won Lawrence and Owaka respectively.
† Francis Parker