Hunter move into the Shute Shield’s pole position for the first time this season, as Warringah drop to second after failing to secure a bonus point.

Eastwood and Randwick move up to fourth and fifth, respectively, while Gordon and Northern Suburbs slide down the ladder on the cusp of the top 6.

Hunter 40-20 Northern Suburbs 

The power of Hunter’s forward pack was too much for a travelling Northern Suburbs, who went down by 20 in Newcastle.

It took just 90 seconds for Englishman Frankie Nowell to nab first points for the home side off the back of a powerful carry from no.8 Philip Talaileva in the first phase off set piece.

The rampaging backrower was one of the best on ground, leading his pack around the park with strong carries early, before picking up his own five pointer with a pick and go under the posts with 10 minutes gone.

Norths hit back through Waratahs prop Sifa Amone, who threw an outrageous dummy to bust the line and put his side on the front foot inside the opposition 22. Scrum-half Seamus Smith dove over two phases later to reduce the deficit to just four points.

The Wildfires forward pack then stepped it up a gear, securing another pick and go try, before Talaileva skittled the visitors’ defence to set up Nowell for a double.

The Shoremen had the final say in the first half, with veteran skipper Sam Kitchen plugging the back of a rolling maul and diving over in the corner to make it an 11-point ball game at the break.

But two quick tries to Hunter winger Brendan Palmer when play resumed gave the home side a huge lead to defend with 30 minutes to go at Newcastle Sports Ground no.2.

Norths managed their third of the day via a bust from Callum Sirker to put Tom Bacon in, but neither side could break the gridlock and add to their score in the final quarter, keeping the scoreboard in favour of the Wildfires.

The bonus-point win pushes Hunter up to top spot on the ladder, having held second place since round four.

Eastwood 29-26 Manly 

Manly narrowly missed out on their first win of the season, but took two losing bonus points as Eastwood edged out a thriller in round seven.

The Marlins took first blood through their leading try scorer Wilson Dulieu, who slammed it down in the far corner after just three minutes of play.

But the visitors didn’t take long to retaliate, hitting back via front rower Isikeli Fukofuka, muscling his way over the line to score on his first start in first grade for the year.

Then it was ping-pong footy at Manly Oval, as the home side scored to extend their lead twice, only to be matched by Eastwood with a return serve each time.

A five pointer to Eastwood winger Lachlan Shelley made him the competition’s leading try scorer with nine for the season, and rounded out the half with scores locked at 19-all.

First points in the second half went the way of the Woods, as former London Scottish backrower Brian Tuilagi showed he, just like the rest of his family members, is nearly impossible to stop from five metres out.

But the Marlins continued to fight, pressing the Eastwood defence for 15 minutes of solid pressure. They eventually broke the line as Ben Burnell’s chip over the top was picked up by Robbie McIntosh, who put Charlie Powell into space before an inside ball back to McIntosh saw him cross the paint.

Scores were all locked up as play resumed, but the Woods managed to immediately secure a penalty at the breakdown, giving Cole Spinks the opportunity to nudge it over and take a three-point lead with 15 minutes to play.

Manly had a last-minute opportunity to level it after turning over a lineout on the bell, but a dangerous clean out saw the attacking side penalised and secured the win for the visitors.

Randwick 49-21 Southern Districts 

A standout performance by Waratahs play maker Lawson Creighton saw Randwick prove too strong for a spirited Southern Districts side, who were again unable to add to their solitary win of the season.

In his first appearance for the Galloping Greens, Creighton walked over without a hand laid on him for the opening try of the day within the first 10 minutes. And that set the tone for what would be a heavily dominant display by the former Queensland Red, as he added six conversions and a handful of try assists to his stat sheet.

The fly-half’s Tahs teammate Isi Naisarani then scored shortly after, in what was proving to be very sleepy start for the visitors at Coogee Oval.

Rebels captain Isaac Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens gave his side a much-needed boost when he crashed over at the 30-minute mark, but it wasn’t long before Creighton gave Souths more to think about at the half time break.

Defending at fullback, the Wicks no.10 fielded a clearance kick on his own 22 before finding a hole near halfway and beating three defenders to create a genuine try-scoring opportunity out of nothing. Then a miracle inside ball from Creighton to Tim Sippel saw the scrum-half beat the remaining defenders and dive over in what was undoubtedly the play of the day.

Trailing 21-7 at half time, Southern Districts had plenty to work on, but had still showed plenty of ability in the first 40.

Souths then started the second half much stronger, scoring first through backrower Declan Papadakis, and then via Allan Ferrie, who charged down Creighton and won the scramble to the line.

But Wicks supporters will no doubt forgive their new golden boy for that minor blemish on an otherwise polished performance, as Creighton had a hand in a further two tries in the second half to help his side run away with it.

The bonus-point win pushes Randwick up to fifth place, while Souths drop to 11th.

Eastern Suburbs 55-12 West Harbour 

A frustrating first half saw West Harbour unable to capitalise on a number of attacking opportunities against the reigning champions, who put on a show in the second 40 to secure their sixth win of the season.

Easts started out in their usual fashion, throwing the ball around early and testing the defence at lineout time to record their first two tries within 15 minutes in round seven.

But the Pirates weren’t to be walked over, showing just as much attacking flair and piecing together plenty of phases as they battled to break the Beasties line.

Unfortunately for Wests, the rugby Gods clearly weren’t looking down fondly on Concord Oval. With two would-be tries held up over the line and a promising attack cut short when Chris Bell kicked ahead a loose ball and dribbled it 40 metres to score, Phil Blake’s men were begging for something to go their way.

The home side were finally rewarded on the cusp of half time, with a powerful driving maul giving them some hope as they broke for drinks 10 points behind the visitors.

But that hope would be short lived, as Waratahs half Jack Grant scored for the Beasties just two minutes after play restarted.

A landslide followed, with Easts running in a further four unanswered tries to make it yet another tough day at the office for the boys from the Inner West.

Onehunga Kaufusi got a well-deserved five pointer with 10 minutes left to play, but when former Ireland u20 and Connacht flanker Ciaran Booth cruised through the defensive line and stepped the fullback for Easts’ ninth try of the day, the final whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the home side.

Eastern Suburbs hold position in third on the ladder, while Wests took nothing away from the loss and remain last.

Western Sydney 39-36 Sydney Uni

The battle between eighth and ninth proved the most action-packed of the round, with fans on the edge of their seats right up to the final bell as Western Sydney held on to secure a well-deserved victory in Camperdown.

The Students took first points at home via the boot of James Kane, but a powerful driving maul from the Two Blues secured the first try of the day, as the visitors looked dominant up front in the early stages.

Uni hit back when Jack Matthews found some space on the left wing, before Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong showed once again why he’s one of the competition’s best in counter attack.

The Two Blues fullback fielded a high ball on half way, threw a dummy and skipped away from his opposite number to crack the defensive line. The former King Country flyer then managed to flick it out the back mid-tackle to link with support and set up Cody Nordstrom for his first of the day.

But the game was turning into an arm wrestle, as the Students fought back to within one point thanks to some heavy rumble in the forwards and a try to loose head Sione Harriss.

Momentum favoured the Two Blues as the game reach its midway point, with Nordstrom grabbing his double on the bell, before skipper Tovo Faleafa secured his side’s fourth and bonus point try when play resumed.

A shift came when Waratah Felix Kalapu was sent to the sin bin, with Uni knocking over two tries while the Two Blues were down a man, bringing the gap back to just three.

The home side took the lead for the first time with 12 minutes to go when Kane found a weak shoulder on the edge of Uni’s rolling maul, meaning Western Sydney would be forced to score another try to take the win.

They threw everything at the Students, but were held up over the line with a few minutes remaining, leaving fans wondering if the boys from the West had peaked too soon.

But deep in Uni’s 22, intelligent rugby from scrum-half Rilloy Suesue caught the defence napping, as referee James Quinn blew a penalty against the blue and gold for playing the half. Suesue tapped quickly and ran through before Uni had time to retreat back to their own line, scoring the match winner in unbelievable scenes.

With the score locked at 39-36 and time run out, the Students had one final crack through their forwards just metres out from the Two Blues line. But the visitors showed more desire to win as they scrambled in defence, forcing a knock on and cementing a hard-fought victory.

Warringah 18-8 Gordon

The match of the round saw two genuine title contenders grind out in a low-scoring affair, with Warringah emerging victorious at Rat Park.

Just three points separated first-placed Warringah and fourth-placed Gordon heading into round seven, so it was no surprise that neither side allowed their line to be crossed for first half an hour of the game.

Penalty goals were the only points on the scoreboard for the majority of the half, until some Tyson Davis magic gave Warringah their first try of the day.

Dangerous as they have been all year in counter attack, the Rats ran the ball from a quick lineout in their own half, stretching Gordon out wide on the left side. The ball eventually found its way to Davis, who skipped away from one defender on the 22-metre line, then busted through another two attempted tackles to power over.

Gordon trailed 11-3 at half time, but there was little separating the two sides when play resumed.

The Highlanders hit back early in the second 40, with a bust from openside Tom Horan putting them within 15 metres of the line and the Rats scrambling to recover. Quick hands over to the other side of the pitch then saw fullback Otumaka Mausia score, reducing the gap to three.

Momentum then swayed in favour of the home side, as Gordon reserve hooker Ryan Jackson was sent to the sin bin for a cynical infringement at the ruck right in front of Gordon’s posts.

Warringah immediately took advantage of the overlap, with winger Ben Woollett launching into the corner in the first phase off the scrum restart.

Neither side was able to add to their scores for the remaining 25 minutes of the match, leaving Warringah victorious but without a bonus point.

The result means the Rats now sit in second on the ladder, one point behind Hunter, while Gordon drop down to sixth.