Joeys and Riverview share the pointy end of the GPS first XV ladder after claiming back to back wins over the weekend, while Shore bounced back from a narrow defeat in round one to beat Kings at home. 

Catch up on all the round two action below.

Joeys 31-10 Scots

Two tries in five minutes late in the first half helped Joeys set up a fairly convincing 31-10 victory over Scots in front of a big and vocal crowd at Hunters Hill. 

Joeys No.6 Lucas Arnautovic was a standout for the home side, scoring a try and setting up another in the first half. 

Arnautovic showed good speed to move play deep into Scots’ territory in the 12th minute, before his backrow partner Johaness Logan crashed over a few phases later for the opening try of the afternoon. 

Scots hit back five minutes later with a try to No.8 Toby Brial from a quick tap and remained within striking distance until late in the first half when two quick Joeys’ tries turned the match on its head. 

Winger Kynan Hart helped Joeys break the Scots defensive line from a lineout on halfway, then backed up nicely on the inside in support to score his side’s second try of the afternoon. 

The electric outside back then threw a fantastic offload at full speed to set up Arnautovic for a five pointer which gave Joeys a 19-5 lead at the half time break. 

The home side scored another impressive long range try seven minutes into the second half, this time through winger Ben Sleeman, then sealed victory in the 57th minute with a fifth try after a big left foot step from fullback Max Palmisani. 

Scots scored a late consolation try, but it was Joeys afternoon and a second straight win at home for the Cerise and Blue. 

St Joseph’s College 31 (Tries: J Logan, K Hart, L Arnautovic, B Sleeman, M Palmisani Goals: M Palmisani 3), defeated The Scots College 10 (Tries: T Brial, A Newman). 

Riverview 14-7 Newington

Riverview held on for a second straight tight win in as many weeks, this time holding out Newington in the second half to claim a scrappy but important 14-7 victory at home. 

Riverview dominated territory and possession for most of the opening 15 minutes and eventually opened the scoring when flanker Henri Dempsey found the Newington tight forwards napping next to the ruck. 

The home side extended their lead in the 25th minute when winger Brody Folkes did incredibly well to beat Heamasi Makasini, a defender twice his size, and find some chalk just inside the corner post to give his side a 14-point lead. 

Momentum swung behind Newington after that though. Following a yellow card to Riverview for a dangerous tackle, Newington attacked Riverview’s red zone aggressively. 

On the stroke of half time, the visitors found space through their counterattack and centre Matt Humphries ran a nice line off his flyhalf to score under the posts and reduce the deficit to seven points at the break. 

Both sides defended well but executed poorly in attack in a scoreless second half. 

Riverview attacked from a five metre lineout but had issues with their driving maul and were held up over the line a few minutes later. 

Newington then had similar issues when they had a series of opportunities down the other end. 

While both side’s defence, particularly in their red zone, was strong, neither side will be happy with their performance in a gritty 14-7 win to Riverview. 

Saint Ignatius’ College 14 (Tries: H.Dempsey, B.Folkes. Goals: A.Grover 2) defeated Newington 7 (Tries: M. Humphries. Goals: Rodwell 1)

Shore 31-24 Kings

A week after giving up the lead late in a round one loss to Riverview, Shore bounced back and held on to beat a brave Kings outfit 31-24 at Northbridge. 

In a seesawing battle, Shore scored inside the opening two minutes through winger Charlie Francis but Kings responded immediately. 

Centres Loui Fenwicke and Isamu Naito were both brilliant in a losing side and combined nicely on a short side to set up the visitor’s first try. 

Shore hit back with a penalty goal, but Fenwicke scored twice to give his side a 17-10 lead after 30 minutes. Both tries were from close range, with the second coming on the back of another strong run from Naito. 

Shore levelled the scores with a try from hard running centre Henry Conick but trailed again early in the second half following Kings’ fourth try of the afternoon that came just three minutes after the break. 

Attacking in Shore’s 22, Kings prop Hayden Lavercombe offloaded to scrumhalf Kai Wilson. Wilson then found Lavercombe’s front row partner Hasani Bloomfield who scored with a big swan dive under the posts. 

But once again, Shore hit back quickly, this time levelling the scores just five minutes later when flyhalf Rex Bassingthwaighte split the Kings defence in the 42nd minute. 

Kings dominated at scrum time and planted themselves deep in Shore territory for most of the second half. 

But the home side hit back against the run of play. Fullback Jai Callaghan made a break from a kick return to put the visitors on the back foot. Skipper Marshall Le Maitre then kicked downfield and led a strong chase. 

After causing a turnover, Shore spread the ball to centre Lewis Kingdom on the opposite sideline who scored to give his side a seven point advantage inside the final 10 minutes. 

Kings had opportunities in the closing stages, but Shore looked to have learnt from their narrow defeat last week and closed the game out to move to third on the GPS ladder. 

Shore 31 (Tries: R Bassingthwaighte, C Francis, H Conick, L Kingdom. Conv: H Conick 4. PG: H Conick) defeated Kings 24 (Tries: L Fenwicke 2, I Naito, H Bloomfield. Conv: T Risati 2).