Rugby: Southern storm into second after last minute win

File photo by Scott Siffleet

Brent Aston-Landers held his nerve to slot a last-minute penalty as Southern edged New Plymouth Old Boys 23-22 in Taranaki premier club rugby on Saturday.

The result at Hicks Park in Hāwera was Southern’s third consecutive win and lifted them into a share of second place on the competition ladder with Coastal after coming from near the bottom of the table.

Since suffering a heavy defeat to Clifton earlier this month, Southern have found their form, going unbeaten through the second round so far with previous wins against Tukapa and United.

Aston-Landers' match-winning kick came after Southern worked their way deep into Old Boys territory in the closing stages.

Under pressure near their own line, Old Boys were penalised at the breakdown when flanker Rowan Slater fell on the ball while he attempted to secure a turnover, to give referee Rohan Gladding no option in awarding the penalty, just left of the posts.

Trailing 22-20 with time virtually up, Aston-Landers stepped forward and calmly split the uprights, which was met with loud celebrations from the home supporters.

Earlier, it looked as though New Plymouth Old Boys would take control of the contest after racing to a 12-0 lead midway through the first half.

Southern responded strongly, reeling off 12 unanswered points to level the scores before an Old Boys penalty on the stroke of halftime restored the visitors' advantage.

The lead changed hands again after the break, with Southern moving in front 20-15.

However, a late Old Boys try swung the momentum back the other way and put the visitors ahead 22-20 through a Joel Williamson try to set the stage for Aston-Landers' match-winning kick.

A four-try performance from United's Kyle Corrigan was not enough as Inglewood secured a 47-39 victory at Stadium Taranaki.

The win was Inglewood's third of the season, with the return of New Zealand Under-20 prop Dane Johnston providing a boost up front.

United matched Inglewood physically for much of the contest and showed signs of improvement across the park, but the visitors' ability to exploit gaps in the defence proved decisive.

A late fightback from United narrowed the margin, but Inglewood had already done enough to secure the points.

Clifton maintained their unbeaten record with a commanding 46-17 win over defending champions Stratford-Eltham at Victoria Park on Saturday.

The competition leaders controlled the contest from the outset and held a 19-5 advantage at halftime.

Stratford-Eltham closed the gap after the break, but Clifton pulled away in the final quarter to seal another convincing victory.

Back Paul Faoagali scored twice for Clifton.

Coastal winger Ben Dufficy scored five tries in his side's dominant 52-0 victory over Tukapa at Sanders Park.

The result condemned Tukapa to a third consecutive defeat and saw them slip to sixth on the competition ladder.

Dufficy, one of the competition's standout performers this season, crossed throughout the match as Coastal were rarely troubled.

Tukapa struggled to build pressure, with handling errors repeatedly halting their momentum.

The hosts have also been without several key players in recent weeks, adding further strain to their playoff hopes with four rounds remaining.

On Saturday, Inglewood host Clifton at TET Stadium, Coastal welcome Southern to Rahotu, Tukapa face Stratford-Eltham at Sanders Park and United travel to Vogeltown Park to play New Plymouth Old Boys.

The points after 10 weeks is; Clifton 33, Coastal 20, Southern 20, Old Boys 18, Stratford-Eltham 17, Tukapa 14, Inglewood 12, United 9.