LISA BURD/Things
Stratford/Elthams Peter Te Kahu flies into Scott Mellows tackle. The central Taranaki team will face competition leader Clifton in the semi-finals on Saturday. Meanwhile, Tukapa will face Old Boys in the other semifinal.
Stratford/Eltham coach Ross Williams hopes Saturday’s CMK Premier Club rugby semi-final will bring luck for the fourth time.
After finishing fourth in the past three years, the central Taranaki side has missed the final on all occasions.
On Saturday, they put that recent record on the line against number one seeds Clifton at the Tikorangi Sports Ground.
“We’ve learned a bit from those experiences,” Williams said, looking back on previous playoffs.
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He is aware that it will not be an easy task against a promising Clifton outfit, who were unbeaten in the second round.
“They are a well-coached team with all-round attacking power, so we have to be strong defensively and limit their chances. But we’re motivated to go there and test them.”
Williams said that while not many people predict that Stratford/Eltham will win, as a group they are excited and confident.
Promising ending Peter Te Kahu, Rowan Slater and Scott Jury performed well this year.
Clifton coach Colin Cooper has changed Clifton after a few rough years. It is their first appearance in the semi-finals since 2018, but before that they rarely made it to the top four.
Cooper said the team is delighted to have another week of playing for their home supporters and families.
Clifton’s Liam Blyde, Josh Setu and Indiah Soatui-Huta were in the top three try-scorers this season.
Matty James of the top five scored 79 points, but New Plymouth Old Boys (NPOB) linchpin Daniel Waite scored the most with 93 – an average of 13 points per game in the second round.
Both Tukapa and NPOB are likely to have their Super Rugby players for the second semi-final at Sanders Park.
Over the past few weeks, it has been a gradual return for their respective Super players following their post-competition automatic shutdown.
Bradley Slater, Tom Florence and Kaylum Boshier all returned for the Chiefs’ NPOB this past weekend, while Tukapa enjoyed Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Ricky Riccitelli of the Blues.
NPOB coach Michael Carr said it was a positive move to have Super Rugby players back in the league across all teams.
“It’s an opportunity for aspiring players to see the levels they need to reach, it adds to the quality of rugby being played and spectators to see them play at the grassroots,” he said.
“In my experience, the Super players really like to come back and play for their clubs.”
Meanwhile, Carr said Tukapa will be challenging this weekend with talented players in key positions.
Tukapa coach Ben Siffleet acknowledged those big names and expects the small moments to count.
He said that Tukapa has had a strong squad throughout the season.
“We’ve had good depth and everyone is pushing each other for positions.”
The goal for the club was to make a home semi-final.
“It’s good to tick that box, this is what the guys have done all the work for, so now it’s a matter of enjoying the experience,” he said.
Cam Hurley and Will Johnston whistle the respective semi-finals, which both start at 2:45 PM.
– This content was brought to you by Sports news Taranaki.