SYDNEY UNI V NORTHERN SUBURBS at Uni No.2 Oval

A 69th minute yellow card to Northern Suburbs centre Nathan Russell opened the door for Sydney Uni to storm to a 35-29 victory at Uni No.2 Oval on Saturday.

The experienced Russell was given 10 minutes on the sidelines when an intercept attempt went haywire and Uni made the most of the extra room as the game ticked on.

Tries in those final 10 minutes to debutant backrower Sam Allsopp and a real cracker from winger Rohan Lea in the shadows of the full-time whistle got the home side ahead.

When Uni went to the front in the 76th minute it was the first time that they had led all afternoon and as much as Norths tried to scramble back the lead they couldn’t get to the right end of the field and pull off the miracle.

Norths went into halftime with a 21-14 advantage after jumping to a 14-0 lead early and pushed that out to 12 points shortly after the break when James Margan rolled his second one over from the back of what was a very effective rolling maul.

But Uni continued to compete and the value that their big off-season recruit Isi Naisarani was there for all to see.

Naisarani scored a barging try in the first half to open the Uni account and his charges continued to attract numbers in defence meaning that there was room a little wider.

He will be a real weapon as this competition plays out and should prosper once some of the raw edges have been knocked off the Uni game.

George Poolman really stood up for the Students in the middle of the field, carrying effectively when there wasn’t much doing while Theo Strang was good in the No.9 jersey, directing play well and providing energy when it was needed.

Jude Gibbs was good for Norths at No.10, while Margan was his usual abrasive self. Boston Karapa had a busy game in what was a good back row performance from the Shoremen for most of the game.

Norths were knocked about with some late changes – Harry Burey, Reece Ma’u and Luke Gersekowski all missing.

Uni obviously have some troops in reserve too but this time through their next man up was up to the job!

EASTWOOD V MANLY MARLINS at TG Millner Field

The Manly Marlins got their 2024 Shute Shield campaign off to a largely positive start with a 32-17 win over Eastwood at TG Millner Field on Saturday.

Two tries from rock hard flanker Hunter Ward led the way for the Marlins as the visitors scored six tries to three in a performance that coach Chris Delooze will be able to build on.

Manly haven’t had too many happy days up at TG in recent seasons but this must be considered one of their better ones.

Much of the early possession and field position went the way of the Woodies who have a fresh deck of new talent under David Telfer but it was the Marlins who struck first.

That was through that man Ward who burrowed his way over off a rolling maul from short metres.

In the 18th minute the Woodies did get themselves into the contest when winger Michael Stringer made some ground down the left edge and got a pass inside for centre Reece Tapine to score.

Tapine’s try levelled the scores but in the 32nd minute Ward got himself across the try line again from a rolling maul for a first half double.

Ben Gleeson pushed the visitors even further ahead when he touched down from a dominate scrum shove.

That made the score 15-5 at the break and the Marlins couldn’t see any reason to move away from the formula that worked so well in the first 40 minutes.

They pushed that lead out to 20-5 when Fraser Toohey scored out wide from a kick from Robbie McIntosh but the Woodies did show some life when scrum half Tom Goddard scooted under the posts.

McIntosh then did some nice work to score near the posts for Manly before Jordan-Lee bacon scored out wide for Eastwood.

The knock out blow then came from Mali Manukia who barged over under the posts and bizarrely it was then only Manly try that was converted.

Something that may be added as a work on for training at Keirle Park this week.

WESTERN SYDNEY TWO BLUES V GORDON at Eric Tweedale Stadium

The Western Sydney Two Blues celebrated Eric Tweedale Round in the best possible way with a gripping 22-19 win over Gordon at home on Saturday.

The home side jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and 22-7 after 55 minutes then managed to survive a late game surge from the Highlanders to grab important competition points at home early in the season.

The Two Blues got the scoring underway in the 12th minute when their No.10 Reece Seuseu got a nice off load to his centre Sitiveni Moceidreke who managed to work his way into the Highlanders back field before off loading to fullback Christian Papas who scored under the posts.

Not long after Reece Seuseu pushed the home side a further three points ahead with a difficult penalty goal attempt from the left edge of the field to make the score 10-0.

The in the 22nd minute the Two Blues were piggy backed even further ahead with lock and skipper Dan Faleafa was on the spot after a Gordon line out went horribly wrong.

The storied Tongan international simply caught the ball at the back of a Highlanders overthrow and then muscled his way over.

That made the score 15-0 and 17-0 with the successful conversion from Seuseu the game began too have that smell of a major upset about it only 25 minutes into the contest.

Gordon did have several opportunities to get themselves back into the contest in the first 40 minutes with a nice barge from Jack Margin probably the best but solid Two Blues defence and good scrambling kept them out.

The message at halftime to the Highlanders must have been simple with the visitors being implored to roll their sleeves up, play field position and eek some points out of the Two Blues.

That got some pay when Two Blues prop Kaynan Siteine-Tua was yellow carded for playing the ball on the ground.

A couple of minutes after that Gordon got their rolling maul in better order and with Jack Margin showing the way hooker Will Bremmer got across the line to break the visitors points drought.

But in the 55th minute some great running and superb passing interchanges, fullback Papas prominent  saw Taqele Naiyaravoro dot down in the corner to make the score 22-7.

Gordon weren’t going to take things lying down and tries to Gordon’s replacement hooker Siketi Tevao and a late one from Brandon Quinn gave the final 22-19 scoreline.

HUNTER WILDFIRES V RANDWICK at Newcastle No.2 Sports Ground

Randwick started the defence of their Shute Shield title with a statement performance in their 64-17 win over the Hunter Wildfires in Newcastle on Saturday.

The Galloping Greens scored 10 tries to two in what must be considered one of their better performances of the past couple of seasons.

Coach Stephen Hoiles even had to show a clean set of heels getting to the game after he was part of the commentary team for Stan Sport’s coverage of the game between the Melbourtbne Rebels and the Fijian Drua in Melbourne on Friday night.

The 10 tries were one thing but what shone through the Stan Sport coverage of the game was the quality and desperate nature of their defence.

The match was only one minute old when James Hendren got on the outside of the Wildfires defence down the left edge and scored after some nice work from Kurtley Beale and Nick Chan.

Chan and Beale combined again in the second try after Tristan Reilly made good ground in the middle of the field for Chan to go over in the fifth minute.

Wildfires No.10 Nate De Thierry got his side on the board with a penalty goal in the 15th minute but the visitors refused to take their foot off the pedal with Ben Sugars rolling none over from five metres out.

The home town boys did have a few moments after that with a try to Bo Abra but a try from scrum half Tim Sippell took a lot of that momentum out of the Wildfires game.

The score at the break was 24-10 and Randwick simply got back to basics and with Beale showing great touches in the midfield they continued to bother the scoreboard attendant.

The Wildfires did get a try in the 62nd minute when Isaac Montoisy was on there spot  but this would prove to be the exception rather than the rule.

The floodgates really opened from there but you just got the impression that this Wildfires was a lot better than what they showed first up.

WEST HARBOUR V EASTERN SUBURBS at Woollahra Oval

The Ben Batger era at Woollahra Oval got off to a flying start with an impressive 31-15 win over West Harbour at Woollahra Oval on Saturday.

Batger’s move from TG Millner to Woollahra was one of the bigger coaching moves of the Shute Shield off-season and early on the Beasties certainly look as though they are keen to climb the ladder.

Sydney’s big wet saw the change of venue from Concord to Woollahra and that seemed to suit the Pirates well with James Faiva grabbing a 3-0 lead for his side with an early penalty goal in the second minute.

Then in the 16th minute Callum Sirker had the chance to score the first try of the game after going over in the corner after some good work from Taine Rosh but he was ruled to have gone into touch in the act of scoring.

From that point East worked their way back into the game with a number of breaks from deep in their own territory but it took a rolling maul from five metres out for English recruit Jamie Adamson to score.

That made the score 5-3 young flyhallf Jack Bowen added the extras to go four points clear.

Bowen was in the game again near the shadows of halftime time when he broke up the middle with the Wests defence tiring and then interchanged with centre Mosese Tuipulotui to push the lead out to 14-3 at the break.

The Beasties then took the game very much into their keeping with some nice work from Tuipulotiu, Josh Bokser and Harry Wilson saw Harison Mataele over near the posts.

Sirker finally got himself on. The scoresheet after his early misadventure when he went over in the 59th minute after a period of sustained pressure from the Pirates.

That made the score 21-8 which was then complicated by the yellow card to Josh Bokser and another shortly after.

Then in one of the more bizarre stretches of play Easts, down to 13 men, managed to get hold of the ball push it wide, put it on the toe and then regather for Bowen to score.

Bowen’s conversion made the scoreline 28-8.

Wests did hit back in the final 10 minutes with another try to Sirker but the game was well and truly out of their grasp by that stage.

Bowen finished the scoring with a penalty goal in the 77th minute.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS V WARRINGAH at Forshaw Rugby Park

Warringah got their season of much promise under the new “gaffer” Josh Holmes with a significant 36-25 win over Southern Districts at Forshaw on Sunday.

The game was postponed from Saturday after Sydney’s big wet late in the week, Forhsaw Rugby Park some metres under water early on Saturday morning.

You wouldn’t have known of the chaos that had visited that area of Sydney by the time that game day came around on Sunday with the game played out on an almost perfect deck.

It was all Warringah early with winger Harvey Elms scoring in the third minute in the corner after some nice work from fullback and captain Ben Marr and new No.10 Coby Miln.

Souths got themselves back into the contest once some possession came their way, William Thomas, the Welsh sevens star, making it 5-3 after six minutes.

But the Rats remained methodical about the way they approached this game and forced another kickable penalty goal to make there score 8-3.

Miln was accurate once again at the 15th minute mark with another penalty goal but Souths Isaac Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens busting up the middle the make the score 11-10 with Thomas’ conversion.

The home side stayed in touch with another Thomas kicked another penalty goal but try Rats made the score 14-13 their way at the break with another Miln penalty goal.

After the break Miln pushed his side out to a 17-13 advantage shortly after oranges but it was still very much game on and play continued to ebb and flow.

Souths were the first to make the most of a break from Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens that eventually saw lock Mark O’Reilly barge over after a nice offload from Jake Douglas.

That put the home side ahead 20-17 with Thomas’ conversion.

Then in in 62nd the “two Bens” Ben Woolllett and Ben Marr made a break up the middle that saw Marr score under the posts.

That duo wasn’t finished yet and in the 66th minute Woollett and Marr combined again the right edge to put the game out of the Rebels reach.

Souths did hit back late with a long range try from Oscar Schmidt-Uili but the margin was too large for the home side to overcome.