The GPS title race has taken another big turn, with Newington now holding one hand firmly on the trophy after Riverview suffered a stunning 28-26 loss to Kings.

Newington made it through another nervous afternoon too, edging Joeys 38-35 in another match decided by less than a try.

The result means Riverview can now only share the premiership with Newington.

Elsewhere, Shore bounced back from last week’s surprise loss in emphatic fashion, thumping Scots 50-17 away from home. 

Kings 28 – 26 Riverview 

Kings produced one of the results of the GPS season, knocking off premiership favourites Riverview in a thriller that only really came alive after half-time.

The opening 20 minutes were scoreless as both defences dominated, particularly at the breakdown where turnovers came regularly. Riverview eventually cracked the deadlock through star centre Tajj Scarr, who slipped a tackle, stepped back inside and raced 20 metres to score under the posts.

Kings responded before half-time, grinding their way downfield before going to their rolling maul to make it 7-all at the break.

The second half began with an all-in 15-v-15 melee that eventually saw Kings front rower Christopher Suaalii sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes, with Riverview perhaps fortunate to escape without losing a player themselves.

Riverview capitalised twice, with Sebastian Conna powering over before Archer Mason finished a slick wide move to make it 19-7.

Kings hit back through reserve halfback Charlie O’Loughlin before Scarr produced the try of the game, beating four defenders with a ridiculous run down the edge that showed off his pace and sharp feet.

Mason’s conversion made it 26-14, but Kings refused to go away. Thomas Aroyan finished a clinical chip-and-chase after a brilliant flick from hooker Oli Smith, before another rolling maul in the final three minutes completed the ultimate comeback.

A statement 28-26 victory that has completely disrupted Riverview’s Shield plans.

Joeys 35 – 38 Newington

Joeys came agonisingly close to producing the biggest upset of the season, but Newington once again found a way to escape with a win, edging the hosts by 3 points.

Newington struck first after centre Jaryd King turned a turnover into a clinical 50/22. From the resulting lineout, a beautifully executed short-side set play put flyhalf Cooper Moore over untouched in the corner.

Joeys flyhalf Thomas Bayada was then shown yellow for an ill-timed tackle, and Newington took full advantage. A powerful carry from Iliyaz Villiamu combined with King’s pace out wide created the opportunity for Timoci Nagusa to score and stretch the lead.

Joeys responded after a rare Nagusa error from the restart, with Eddie Garcia-Wood fighting his way over following a clever pop pass off the deck.

Newington led 19-7 at half-time and extended that advantage early in the second through Villiamu’s second.

But Joeys suddenly found another gear. Strong carries and slick hands sent Henry Gardiner over before Garcia-Wood bounced off the back of a maul for his second.

Kden Carter finally stamped his authority on the contest, sparking Newington into life and putting Moore over for his second try.

A Newington lineout error five metres from their own line handed Garcia-Wood his hat-trick, but Carter responded by taking matters into his own hands, bouncing off a tackle and marching over for what proved to be the match-winning try.

Joeys scored once more, but Newington held on for another narrow victory and, more importantly, another huge step towards the Shield.

Scots 17 – 50 Shore

Shore responded to last week’s shock defeat in the only way they know how, putting a half-century on the scoreboard.

The visitors and Scots traded blows early, with Shore opening through a pick-and-go before Scots responded with a brilliant grubber-retrieve try, Sam Large showing the pace to collect the kick and score.

Shore flyhalf Luke Maclennan then charged down a Scots exit, showed impressive speed to collect his own charge-down and finished the move himself.

Scots hit back through another pick-and-go to make it 12-all before Shore caught them napping from the restart. A quick regather and offload put Harvey Joyce over for a rare try and gave Shore a 17-12 half-time lead.

From there, it was largely one-way traffic.

Shore’s forward pack took over, with George Scammell, Henry Baxter and Tom Green particularly influential through their carries and set-piece work.

Halfback Sterling Strachan opened the second-half scoring with a sharp snipe from the back of the scrum, before Shore piled on the pressure.

Another pick-and-go, a slicing run from prop Green and a brutal carry from skipper Darcy Squire sent the score racing to 43-12.

Shore also did a fine job shutting down Scots’ usually dangerous centre combination of Oscar Tremlett and Sam Large, leaving the hosts struggling to find attacking rhythm.

Harry Haigh powered over for a late consolation, but Shore had the final say, adding another try to complete a comprehensive 50-17 victory.