Sydney Uni and Norths head to Bowral for a top of the table clash, Eastwood host Souths in a rematch of the 2014 grand final and Manly travel to Woollahra in a match that could go either way.

Find out the latest from your side ahead of round four this weekend.

West Harbour v Randwick

West Harbour fell short against Sydney Uni in a high scoring round three affair marred by six yellow cards, some of which still have Pirates coach Todd Louden scratching his head.

“The referee had a big impact on the game and officials have said a few of those cards were questionable but that’s the way it goes,” Louden said.

“It wasn’t a free flowing game but it was nice and physical.”

Louden said he was wary of Randwick’s expansive attack and work at the breakdown, but added that his side was more focused on their own performance.

“Like most teams, we’re still far from our best. But that’s okay as long as we continue to build throughout the season.

“The competition is very close this year and will continue to be all season.”

A late try to Triston Reilly helped Randwick claim a morale boosting 26-19 victory over Easts at Coogee Oval last weekend.

Randwick coach Owen Finegan has made just one change to his starting side, with Lachie Anderson set to replace Andrew Kellaway at fullback.

Eastern Suburbs v Manly

Easts missed an ideal opportunity to break their drought against rivals Randwick last weekend after blowing a 12 point lead in a 26-19 loss.

Despite that, the Beasties are fourth heading into round four and can consolidate a spot in the top three with a win over Manly at home on Saturday.

“We just need to be more patient in our attack. We tried to rush to the end result last weekend without focussing on the detail in the lead up. Our work at the breakdown also needs to improve,” Easts coach Pauli Taumoepeau said.

The home side have named Waratahs Alex Newsome and former Marlin Lalakai Foketi in the centres for Saturday’s clash.

“There’s knowledge and a sharpness to the way they do things that’ll hopefully be infectious around the group. I think they’ll bring the patience in attack that we need,” Taumoepeau added.

Manly made the most of their opportunities and scored several long range tries to beat Southern Districts at Forshaw last weekend.

Fullback Josh Turner impressed at the back and scored two crucial tries in the eight point win.

“He didn’t get a lot of opportunity in the first two matches but made the most of his chances last weekend. I really liked what he did without the ball. If he can keep working on his game, he’s potential option for the Waratahs back three in my eyes,” Manly coach Billy Melrose said.

Kevin Fuavao and Dennis Pili-Gaitau’s match up against Newsome and Foketi in the midfield will be worth the price of admission alone.

Penrith v Warringah

Penrith were competitive in a 43-10 loss to Gordon last weekend but coach Chip Carroll admitted the performance still wasn’t good enough.

“There has been improvement every week but we just seem to let ourselves down with some of the basics like execution, ball retention and discipline at key moments of the game,” Carroll told Rugby News.

The Emus return home to face Warringah in arguably their toughest test of the season, but Carroll said his side was looking forward to the challenge.

“As defending premiers, I’d expect nothing less than a clinical all round performance. It’s pretty hard to pinpoint any weaknesses to be honest.”

Warringah were slow out of the gates against Parramatta last weekend and led 10-3 after 50 minutes, before scoring five tries in the final 30 minutes.

“I’d give us a pass mark for last weekend,” Rats coach Darren Coleman said.

“There were some pleasing aspects but I think we’d need to play better to beat some of the top teams.”

Coleman has made a number of changes to his side to play Penrith, with former Wallaby Mark Gerrard set to start at fullback for the 2017 premiers.

“I’m interested to see Mahe Vailanu in his first first grade start. He’s been very dynamic in seconds and off bench.

“It’s a good opportunity for some players who have been looking for an opportunity to show what they can do in the top grade.

“Luke Vescio has been a long time loyal club member and makes his first grade debut this weekend, which everyone at the club is really happy about.”

Eastwood v Southern Districts

Eastwood and Southern Districts both started the 2018 season with plenty of confidence but have failed to deliver in the opening three rounds and are both outside of the top six.

The Woodies were no match for Norths’ last weekend in a 38-15 loss and will de desperate to return to the winner’s circle when they return to TG Millner on Saturday.

“It was similar to our round one performance against Manly. We turned over the ball too much and released pressure and a good side like Norths are always going to make you pay for that,” assistant coach Ben Batger said.

Waratahs hooker Hugh Roach has been named to start for Eastwood in a rematch of the 2014 grand final

“We’re expecting a tight battle as we’ve developed quite a good rivalry over the last few years and Souths always seem to lift a gear when they come to TG. Rarely is there a blowout when we play each other so we are expecting an 80 minute match.”

Souths were also disappointing in a 23-15 loss to Manly at home in round three and have only a win against Penrith in round one to their name so far this year.

“It was a really frustrating performance. We created a lot of opportunities in attack but just failed to finish them off,” Rebels coach Matt Barr said.

“We need to limit our errors with ball in hand and trust our structures in defence.”

Waratahs No.8 Jed Holloway is expected to start in a timely boost for the Rebels.

“Jed brings a lot of confidence to the team and he’ll be great on the edge in both attack and defence.”

Sydney University v Northern Suburbs

The two form teams of the competition after three rounds travel to Bowral to meet in a top of the table clash on Saturday afternoon.

Sydney Uni showed plenty of flare in an impressive bonus point win over West Harbour last weekend and seem to be thriving with their license to attack from anywhere on the field.

“Confidence and belief is a must for any team, regardless if it’s a young team or an old team. I think we’re ready through. Discipline and execution will be critical,” Uni coach Rob Taylor said ahead of Saturday’s clash against Norths.

While Sydney Uni sit ahead of Norths by a bonus point on the Shute Shield ladder, the Shoreman have beaten last year’s premiers, minor premiers and preliminary finalists in the opening three weeks.

“Their running and passing attack is underestimated, they can play in tight or side to side,” Taylor continued.

“Both teams running the ball should be a good advertisement of the Shute Shield in the country.”

Shannon Fraser welcomes back Waratahs Will Miller and Nick Palmer for Saturday’s clash, while Irae Simone and Cameron Clark will partner one another in the midfield.

“Those guts are well engaged with the club and that helps with their transition back into the playing group,” Fraser said.

“They’ve been a big part of establishing who we are and what we do so it’s great to get them back.”

Despite the big inclusions, Fraser said he’s still wary of a Sydney Uni side playing with plenty of confidence.

“They’ve started the season really well and they’re playing quality rugby. They have a very strong forward pack and they set the platform for a highly confident backline.”

Parramatta v Gordon

Gordon travel to Lidcombe Oval on Saturday to play Parramatta in a match both sides probably think they can win.

The Two Blues produced their best half of football of the season against Warringah last weekend and trailed the defending premiers by just seven after 50 minutes, but were unable to finish the job.

“We identified that our presence at the ruck contest was well below par and worked hard on that. Last week we stopped Warringah from getting clean ball in general play but unfortunately we only competed for a portion of the match,” Two Blues coach Paul Hardwick said.

Still searching for their first win of the season, Hardwick said consistency was the key word at Parramatta training this week.

“In our first three matches, we have either started slowly and have had to chase points, or failed to play out the later parts of the second half.”

“This week we need a consistent performance across the park for 80 minutes.”

Gordon coach Mark Philp said last week’s win over Penrith was the confidence boost his side needed and gave the club an opportunity to press the re-set button, after a tough start to the year.

“We’ve got six players back this week and another eight back next week and that will give us a lot more consistency across the grades,” Philp said.

Although the coach said last weekend’s win was a step in the right direction, he said his side still had a lot of improvement in them.

“We can get there but we just lack the finishing touch at the moment.

“Parra will be big and physical. We need to be patient, relentless and play our game for the full 80 minutes.”