Sky Sport in town to cover crucial games

Sky Sport in town to cover crucial games
Sky Sport grassroots rugby will be in town this weekend to cover the final round of the Westreef Services senior competition. There is plenty at stake this weekend with three teams vying for two spots in next weekend’s Senior Shield playoffs. Westport have already confirmed their spot in the final on July 16 as top qualifier with an assailable lead on the leaderboard. The semi-final positions of second and third is wide open for the remaining three teams who have it all to play for this weekend. The fourth placed team will have next weekend off and return on finals day to play the losing semi-finalist for the Craddock Trophy.

Saturday’s fixtures will be a double header at Victoria Square as White Star host Old Boys before Westport put the Farmlands Foote Shield on the line for the final challenge of the year against Reefton.

White Star v Old Boys
The winner of this match will book their spot in the semi-final and that will be how both teams approach this game. If White Star are to lose, they will be out of the running for the Senior Shield so will certainly have all to play for on Saturday. If Old Boys are to lose, they will have a nervous wait to see the outcome of the second match, so they will be keen to control their own destiny with a win on Saturday.

Old Boys have had the edge on White Star this year, winning both of their clashes to date. Both games have been extremely close, so White Star will know they are there or thereabouts.

White Star’s chances have taken a big boost with the inclusion of Crusaders halfback Mitchell Drummond. The Crusaders centurion, who is also a capped All Black has connections to White Star and is looking forward to pulling on the jersey this weekend. It is another boost for the local game after the appearance of Marty Banks for Reefton last weekend.

The battle in the forwards will be eagerly anticipated. White Star have a largely young pack but do have experience in the form of Buller skipper Anthony Ellis. The big front rower has been playing most of the season at tighthead prop and has been dynamic with ball in hand and excellent on defence, pilfering ball from opposition rucks. Another to impress has been Taine Brownlee at openside flanker. Brownlee has an ability to break tackles when carrying the ball and has scored an impressive 6 tries to date in the competition. His battle on the weekend with Blaine Meikle will be worth watching. Meikle has been one of the standout players of the competition and has made a seamless transition into the loose forwards from the backs. His fitness and energy around the park is arguably the best in the competition and will be a player on the representative coaches notebooks.

In the backs, Old Boys will feel they have a slight edge. The form of Alex Lean in the midfield has been noticeable over the past couple of weeks. His direct running has seen Old Boys benefit from quick ruck ball and free up space for the likes of Hendrix Babbington and Jacob Poynter in the outside backs channel. White Star will have been excited to welcome back Iliesa Tora from injury last week and be pleased to see him get through 80 minutes. Tora is a proven match winner and they will be eager to get the ball to the powerful Fijian with space on the weekend.

It shapes up to be a classic match in what is effectively a quarter final fixture. The intensity of the game will most certainly lift on Saturday and the team that controls the emotion and plays with composure may find themselves playing the following weekend.

Westport v Reefton
There is plenty at stake for both clubs in this fixture. For Westport, they have the chance to lock the Farmlands Foote Shield away for the year and bank the winner’s cheque in doing so.

For Reefton, they also have the lure of the Challenge Shield but also have the chance to make the Senior Shield playoffs.

Westport will know this is their final dress rehearsal for the grand final and will want to use their time effectively on Saturday to make sure they are well prepared for the big dance.

Reefton have everything to play for. They will be coming to Westport off the back of an outstanding team performance last weekend that has put them in a strong position to get into the Senior Shield semi-finals.

Westport have won both clashes to date against Reefton, one a convincing win at the same venue in round 1 and the other a closer win in Reefton, just three weeks ago. The result may depend very much on who can be available this weekend for both clubs. If Westport can produce their best side, they will be an extremely tough proposition to take down, however, if they haven’t got everyone available and Reefton can get close to a near full strength side, then that little bit of extra motivation on the Reefton shoulders may be a big boost for them.

Westport have a strong loose forward contingent who do the bulk of their ball carrying. They have had to squeeze some of these players in to locking positions given the depth in the loose forward stocks. Reefton on the other hand have had plenty of front rowers, who have also slipped into the locking stocks when everyone is available. They will be hopeful to have Simon Hargraves back from injury after the prop played some late minutes last week as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.

Whilst Reefton may not have the services of Marty Banks this weekend, they do have Buller Rugby’s all time leading point scorer James Lash on the team card. Lash, who is part of the Buller Heartland management coaching team this year has recently returned from a knee operation and is looking forward to pulling on the green and white hoops. No doubt Buller coach Nathan Thompson will be a keen follower to see how he performs.

There are a number of exciting match ups in this clash which rep selectors will keep a close eye on. The hooker battle between Westport’s Peter Foote and Reefton’s Enoka Love will be good to follow as will the battle of the experienced front rowers Stephen Crackett and Reefton captain Hemi Manawatu. Both players have been great club men for their respective outfits and always give their absolute best out on the park.

In the backs, the key match ups at 9 and 15 are also worth following. Reefton backs Thor Manawatu and Luke Barrow have certainly been in good form this year and their battle against brothers Caleb and Flynn Aldridge for Westport is going to be pivotal to the outcome of the match. Manawatu has a first-class kicking game whilst Barrow has been in sublime touch with his running game. Both Aldridge boys have enjoyed the freedom to run off the back of their Westport forwards dominance and both have a good ability to attack and pick their moments to run.

So, there is plenty to be excited about for Buller club rugby fans this weekend. Having the ability to watch both games at Victoria Square has been a favorable concept for many fans, particularly on the representative ground which is spectator friendly. It is an exciting final round not to be missed.

Andrew Duncan
Chief Executive Officer