By TOM PRIMMER

With four rounds of the 2020 Hospital Cup done and dusted, Easts remain the only undefeated side in the competition after the Tigers claimed the points in a blockbuster clash with GPS over the weekend.

Elsewhere, Brothers bounced back to beat Bond, Norths proved too good for Wests, and the University of Queensland snatched a last gasp victory over Sunnybank on Saturday.

Let’s take a look around the grounds.

Easts 35 v GPS 29

It was billed as the battle for the minor premiership, and Saturday’s clash between Easts and GPS did not fail to live up to the hype.

With a healthy wind at their back, the Gallopers defied the stubborn Easts defence to lead 17-10 at the break, before a second stanza fightback saw the Tigers wrestle back the momentum and eventually claim a 35-29 point win in front of their home crowd.

Easts scrumhalf Eli Pilz continued his strong start to the season, with his control of the ruck and accuracy of the tee eventually proving the difference between the two premiership heavyweights.

Although both sides scored four tries, Pilz was able to slot three penalty kicks to GPS’ one, bagging a personal tally of 20-points to lead his side to their fourth straight victory.

Tigers skipper Ben Mowen again affirmed his pedigree as a former Wallaby captain, snatching a pair of crucial turnovers in the first half to deny the surging Jeeps attack and keep his side in the fight.

The win sees the Tigers go into outright first position on the ladder as they remain the only undefeated side in the competition.

GPS head coach Elwee Prinsloo lauded the performance of the home side.

“We created plenty of opportunity but just didn’t convert, this is a credit to the Easts defence,” Prinsloo said.

“They turned us over three times in their defensive 22 during the first 40-minutes when we had plenty of momentum. Playing with that strong wind behind us it was even more important to convert those opportunities in the first half but we didn’t.

“I also thought there were a couple of times we worked hard to get in their half in the second half but then kicked the footy away for no real reason.

“Overall, I was very proud of our effort but we needed to manage the game better in those key moments.”

Easts will take a trip down the M1 next weekend to face Bond University on the Gold Coast, while GPS host Sunnybank.

Easts 35 (Ben Mowen, Tom Milosevic, Eli Pilz, Matthew Smit tries; Pilz 3 conversions; Pilz three penalities) d GPS 29 (Ratu Vio Batibasaga, Maile Ngauamo, Nicholas Richards, Maaloga Konelio tries; Jono Kent 3 conversions, Kent penalty)

Brothers 46 v Bond University 29

A strong second-half has delivered Brothers their first competition points of the season after the side bested Bond University 46-29 over the weekend.

After a tightly contested opening forty, the Brethren launched a 20-minute, three-try assault to open the second half and claim an unassailable 22-point lead as the game headed to its final quarter.

The Bullsharks ran in a pair of late tries, but it was merely consolation as Brothers secured a 17-point win.

Youngster Hudson Creighton, the younger brother of star fullback Lawson, impressed in his first Premier Grade start, scoring a double at outside centre and combining well with the experienced Paddy James in the midfield.

Hooker Matt Faessler was also among the Brethren’s best, scoring a try and anchoring a strong performance at set-piece time.

Bond again showed glimpses of their potential, especially with ball in hand, but failed to convert their talent into an 80-minute performance.

Brothers head coach Anthony Mathison lauded his side’s attack, with the Brethren running in seven tries in their most complete attacking performance of 2020.

“I was most pleased with the development of our attacking game,” Mathison said.

“We displayed greater variation and posed different questions of the defence. Our breakdown work was also much improved.

“We started the second half well and established a substantial lead before a few errors crept in.

“We weren’t happy with a couple of the tries that we conceded but we know that we can fix those areas over the coming weeks.”

Brothers take on Wests at Sylvan Road in Round 5, with Bond facing another tough challenge against Easts on the Gold Coast.

Brothers 46 (Hudson Creighton 2, Paddy James, Matt Faessler, Noah Nielsen, Nathan Carroll, Liam Richman tries; Rohan Saifoloi 4 conversions, 1 pen goal) d Bond University 29 (Rhian Stowers 2, Dan Boardman, Mitch Third, Lachlan Connors tries; Third 2 conversions)

University of Queensland 26 v Sunnybank 24

A late comeback by the University of Queensland denied Sunnybank of a memorable win on Saturday, after the Students rallied late to secure a narrow 26-24 victory.

The Dragons held a 24-12 lead with 15-minutes to play at Oldmac Oval and looked to have snatched an upset win over the defending premiers on the back of a playmaking masterclass by Tom Lucas, Hayden Sargeant and Neal McNamara.

TJ Siakisini had other ideas however, the hulking centre crashing over the line to bring the Heavies within a converted try and set up a grandstand finish at the Bank.

With the door slightly ajar, Con Foley opened it fully, evening the scores with a late try to give youngster Kye Oates the chance to kick his side into the lead from the left sideline.

Oates made no mistake, slotting the conversion and breaking the hearts of the Sunnybank crowd to secure a thrilling two-point win for Uni.

UQ Director of Rugby and assistant coach Elton Berrange said he was impressed with his side’s attitude after a patchy 80-minutes of play.

“We were relieved we managed to get to the win,” Berrange said.

“Despite being disappointed in how we played for a lot of the game, we were enormously proud that the guys found a way to win.

“Sunnybank played really well. They made our day pretty tough at the breakdown.

“We have plenty to work on, but most importantly will be our accuracy at the breakdown.”

The loss is Sunnybank’s third straight defeat by two-points or less, as the side continue to prove they can match it with the competition’s best.

“I was impressed by the improvement in our set piece improvement and our composure in attack,” Dragons head coach Sione Fukofuka said.

“Our game management was positive and allowed us to create opportunities to score points.

“We are always looking to improve on our detail and accuracy, but our biggest focus will be on closing out games. We need to keep working for a consistent set piece platform for 80 minutes.”

Sunnybank will look to bounce back against GPS next weekend, while UQ host Souths at St Lucia.

University of Queensland 26 (Connor Vest, Kye Oates, TJ Siakisini, Con Foley tries; Oates 3 conversions) d Sunnybank 24 (Jezzy Ioane, Neal McNamara, Simana Halaifonua tries; Tom Lucas 3 conversions; 1 pen goal)

Norths 36 v Wests 22

Norths claimed their first win of the season with a 36-22 victory over Wests in a seesawing affair at Hugh Courtney Oval.

The Bulldogs charged out of the blocks to lead 12-nil by the 20th minute, before the Eagles hit back to even the scores at 17-all at half-time.

Both sides scored just one try in the opening 30-minutes of the second stanza, with the Eagles holding a narrow two-point lead in the final minutes, before of late tries sealed victory for the home side.

The Bulldogs will be left to lament a pair of errors on the Norths line, with both eventually leading to full field tries for the Eagles, one finished off by Veresa Mataitini off the back of a Nick Chapman break.

Chapman’s return from a shoulder injury provided the Eagles another attacking threat at fullback, while Mataitini again showed why he is one of the Hospital Cup’s premier wingers with a two try effort.

After slow starts in their last two outings, Wests head coach Carl Marshall was pleased with his side’s showing in the opening exchanges, but knows there is still improvements to be made in his side.

“We challenged the guys to start well as this has been an issue for us in the previous two games,” Marshall said.

“Whilst we were pleased we were able to do this as we led the game 12-nil in the early stages, clearly we were disappointed we couldn’t maintain this consistency throughout the game.

“The main aspect we need to address is our ability to turn pressure into points. Twice we were attacking the oppositions goal line and turned the ball over and too their credit resulted in length of the field tries to Norths which ultimately led to our downfall.”

The Bulldogs will be raring to claim their first win of the season when they host Brothers this weekend, with Norths enjoying the bye before taking on Easts in Round 6.

Norths 36 (Veresa Mataitini 2, Matthew Weir, Tonga Ma’afu, Jonathon Rueben, Harrison Fox tries: Nick Chapman 3 conversions) d Wests 24 (Shea Lalagavesi 2, Liam Usher, Gavin Luka tries; Carter Gordon 1 conversion)

IMAGE: BRENDAN HERTEL / QRU