Shore will be looking to claim their second big scalp in as many weeks when they host competition leaders Kings at Northbridge on Saturday afternoon. 

Shore shook up the GPS premiership race with a thrilling 26-20 victory over Riverview last Thursday prior to the long weekend. 

“It was great to get that first win of the season because we were very close against Joeys and Scots and probably should have won those games,” Shore first XV coach Angus Sinclair told Rugby News. 

“We were really poor against Newington last week so it was great to see the boys bounce back. 

“I think that home ground advantage really played to our advantage. It was such a tight game and it probably could have gone either way, but in the crucial moments we were able to defend our goal line with a lot of courage and that got us the result.”

In a seesawing battle, Shore scored in the final minutes through flanker Marshall Le Maitre to take a 26-20 lead. 

But Riverview attacked the Shore try line in the final stages and looked to have scored twice, only to be pushed back by the home side’s defence. 

“The desperation in defence was nice but it also would have been nice not to let them back into the match as many times as we did. There’s still a lot to improve on and we were by no means perfect, but it was great to see the boys grind out the win.”

After opening their season with three away matches in the opening four rounds, Shore will play at Northbridge again on Saturday against a Kings’ side who remain undefeated. 

Kings beat Shore 52-24 in the opening round of the 2023 season, but Sinclair seems confident his side can reverse that result on Saturday. 

“Kings are really well coached by Jimmy Hilgendorf and Hugh Perrett and they are probably a step above the rest of the competition this year, as you can see by the ladder at the halfway point of the season,” the coach said. 

“We’ll need to play a bit smarter than we did against Riverview. There are always things to improve on but if we can replicate our attitude in defence from the last match, then that will go a long way. 

“I also think we need to spend more time playing in the right areas of the field compared to the Riverview game.”

Shore’s upset over Riverview and Kings’ win over Joeys last Thursday means Kings’ are four points clear at the top of the GPS first XV ladder, halfway through the 10-round competition. 

And while a win by Shore on Saturday could see the premiership race tighten significantly, Sinclair said his side isn’t looking too far ahead. 

“We’re not thinking about beating Kings and bringing them back to the pack as much as we are thinking about producing another consistent performance,” the former Norths flyhalf said. 

“We probably wanted to be sitting slightly higher on the competition ladder at this stage of the season but if we can focus on ourselves and find a way to win this weekend, then we’ll be right in the mix.”

In the rounds other matches, Riverview host Newington and Scots travel to play Joeys.