Keith vs Otautahi
Ground: Bower Park 1
Time: 2-45pm

Team List


Forwards
Jamin PIPER
Darren MOKE
Phil HUGHES
Hayden ROBINSON
George PHILIP
Bertie DeGRAAFF
Scott THOMPSON
Peter HADDOCK

Backs
Leyton HUNT
Nick BROWN
Paul CRICHTON
Rob FOLEY
Stuart HERRIOT
Blair PATERSON
Gary RICHARDS

Reserves
Kristen CURRIE
Ian LOCKWOOD
Ian COWAN
Greg BROWN
Jaye JOYCE
Brendyn LAWSON

Points: 5-0, 7-0, 12-0, 14-0, 14-5, 17-5, 22-5, 27-5, 29-5, 34-5, 39-5, 41-5

Tries: Paul CRICHTON (2), Blair PATERSON, Kristen CURRIE, Nick BROWN, Brendyn LAWSON
Conv: Nick BROWN (4)
Pen: Nick BROWN

Player of the Day: Hayden ROBINSON

Photographs here: No photographs were taken

CLASSICS RUGBY AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE. HARD AND WET WITH AN UNEXPECTED FINISH

Bower Park? Never bloody heard of it. Luckily we all got there in the end even though we were thinking it was a day more suited to remaining in bed. The rain didn't effect the softness of the ground that much, but just made the surface slippery, but we are men after all and can handle slippery surfaces for an hour and a half.

I said to myself last week not to forget to mention that it was Poachers 150th game, so naturally I forgot. Sorry Rob, but congratulations anyway on a well deserved sesqui event.

The first 15 minutes were an episode of backwatds and forwards and backwards and forwards pushing running and kicking. Not very exciting, but it gave the boys some practice of ball holding onto experience which hitherto had been lacking this season. Otautahi proved worthy opponents and it took 16 minutes until Toad managed to slide through for the first points of the game. He managed a repeat performance shortly after and Nick bumped up the points with two conversions.

Nick's kicking skills let him down when New Boy Blair slid over for his debut try but we weren't concerned as our defence and the general play kept Otautahi to 5 points to our 22 at the half-time point.

The rain and the wind picked up a bit, as did the intensity of the game, but older and cooler heads calmed things down, although Muncher had a rush of blood to the head with a misdirected slash hash bash kick and a fall over and score moment, which made the sambuccas at the club go down all the more sweeter. Phil also had a uncharacteristic moment of kicking which cost him dearly later on in drinks, but he's loving the change of position from flanker to hooker so he is forgiven his exuberant excesses on the field.

Overall, it was a pleasure to play the guys from Otautahi. truely the game for which Classics grade rugby was designed.

There was a better turnout at the clubrooms than the previous weeks and was great to see Old Coves and New Boys getting their groove on and going upside down. Even if the nanny state wannabes from the bar prevented us from doing possum sculls.

Oh, and Mum got pissed.