Seddon Shield powerhouses Nelson and Marlborough scored big wins over Buller and West Coast respectively on day 2 of the 2012 Primary rugby Tournament in Westport yesterday. The two teams amassed an astonishing 190 points collectively as Nelson defeated Buller 91-0 in the days opening game whilst Marlborough defeated West Coast 99-0 in the second game.
Nelson were playing their first game of the tournament after drawing the bye on day 1 and were extremely impressive. The writing was on the wall for the home side Buller after just 10 minutes of play with Nelson scoring three tries to stamp their authority on the match. The slick inter-passing between the backs and forwards made for some entertaining rugby and the skill from the Nelson side was very evident early. There was no respite for the Buller side as all they could do was watch the speedy Nelson outside backs create space on their outside and run in some excellent long range tries.
Marlborough were equally impressive in their outing against West Coast scoring tries from all parts of the field. Fullback Sam Kenny managed to cross the whitewash 4 times for the red devils as the strong running Marlborough backs caused havoc for the Coast defence. Marlborough would have been smarting from their close loss yesterday to the Golden Bay-Motueka side and ensured they kept their chances alive with a bonus point victory.
Golden Bay-Motueka had the bye yesterday and will face West Coast in the games first day today at 1-15pm. The Golden Bay-Motueka team know they need to keep winning if they are to win back-to-back titles whilst West Coast will be looking for an improved defensive effort. The days second game will be an eagerly awaited clash at 2-30pm as both Nelson and Marlborough go head-to-head in what is likely to be a close and ferocious battle. Buller has the bye today.
Nelson 91 (Tries - Matthew Stevenson 3, Caleb Coventry 3, Jamie Thompson 2, Caleb Delany 2, Neo Milligan-Richard 2, Sam Hopgood , Keegan Thomas , Nikora Kanara. Conversions - Justin Barr 5, Milligan-Richard 2, Delany 1 defeated Buller 0.
Marlborough 99 (Tries – Sam Kenny 4, Logan Robinson 2, Thomas Boyce, Flynn Struthers, Quint Fleischeuer, Isaac Bennett, Josh Godsiff, Nic Murray, Lachie Gray, Heath Murphy, Jordan White, Louis Woolcombe, Josh Reece, Jontay McGill. Conversions – Jack Shadbolt 4, Reece 2, Robinson 1 defeated West Coast 0.
CRITERION PIZZA PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Buller – Ryan McHugh
West Coast – Brad Campbell
Marlborough – Flynn Struthers
Nelson – Jamie Thompson