July 14, 2020
New Plymouth Old Boys will be thankful for the bonus point system as they move into second place on the CMK premier club rugby table after only two wins.
The 46-18 victory over Stratford/Eltham on Saturday at Vogeltown Park is their second win of the season, after beating Coastal last weekend, but they have claimed four bonus points from as many matches.
Old Boys and Clifton are the only two teams to claim the maximum number of bonus points so far.
Halfback Shaan Waite and wing Saiasi Qiokata both picked up a brace, which enabled Old Boys to sit on the right side of the scoreboard.
Both of Waite’s tries were scored in the opening half, with his first coming inside two minutes.
Qiokata had to work hard for his first try as he came off the wing in a lineout move to slice through the defence to score. In the second half, he ran down the sideline and slid in the corner as Old Boys showed dominance.
Stratford/Eltham scored two tries, the first constructed from inside their own half off their own lineout. Wing Niwa Barlow slid over in the corner to open the account for the visitors.
Stratford/Eltham’s set piece held their own as they won most of their lineouts and had a stable scrum.
In his 100th match, hooker Caleb Mawson attempted a penalty kick with one minute remaining, but it drifted wide of the uprights.
As a result, Stratford/Eltham drop to last place on the competition tandings.
Tukapa remain the only unbeaten team with a 21-12 win over Coastal at the Rahotu Domain.
Despite having the stronger forward pack, Coastal couldn’t match the visitor’s backline.
First-five eighth Jayson Potroz set up wing Santana Marshall twice Tukapa, in their only tries.
Coastal captain Jeremy Newell got his name on the scoresheet after a driving maul, while a push over scrum finished their scoring plays in the match.
Inglewood move to third on the standings after a tight 32-35 win over defending champions Spotswood United.
In a seesaw contest, Inglewood had a powerful scrum earning them positive field possession which they capitalised on.
Spotswood United would be disappointed with their error rate as they gave too much ball away and now sit in last place.
In the final game, Southern claimed their second win beating Clifton 27-22 at Hicks Park.
Southern are in fourth place, equal with Clifton.
