Tooheys New Shute Shield :: Round 14 Preview

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Tooheys New Shute Shield :: Round 14 Preview

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Friday, 16 July 2010
NSWRU Media Unit

Round 14 of the Tooheys New Shute Shield doubles as local derby round with some of the most passionate contests this season expected to be played out tomorrow afternoon.

Warringah half Josh Holmes.
Warringah half Josh Holmes. [2010 Tooheys New Shute Shield Round 9 - Warringah v Eastern Suburbs; Pittwater Rugby Park; 12/6/10]


Top of the list is the Bayfield Cup clash between Warringah and Manly at Rat Park which has been heightened by moving all Colts matches to Narrabeen as well. Eastern Suburbs will be in for a tough contest against Randwick while Uni have their work cut out to crack the top six against competition leaders Randwick. West Harbour will be desperate against Eastwood following last weekend's late loss, Norths and Gordon never give each other an inch and Parramatta seem to be edging closer to their first win and have a good chance against Penrith.

Warringah (6th) v Manly (2nd) at Pittwater Rugby Park (3:10pm, ABC TV)
The Warringah-Manly rivalry is one of the fiercest in Sydney club Rugby and with much on the line for both teams, fans can expect a high-octane showdown at Rat Park in the ABC TV Game of the Day.
Manly is one of the form sides of the competition and have moved to within two points of the competition lead. A win for the Marlins could see them move to the top of the ladder if Uni can overcome Souths, however they will need to get the job done first.
Powerhouse wing Nemani Nadolo is back for Manly, while the centre pairing of Tyrone Smith and Brian Sefanaia has the potential to cause plenty of damage around the midfield for the Rats.
Warringah's recent success has been the result of dominant forward play and their hopes of remaining in the top six this weekend rest in the same place. Josh Holmes has been in great form at scrumhalf with Manly's close-in defence sure to keep an eye on the NSW No.9's sniping runs.
Pressure will be on both flyhalves in this all-important clash with Brett Sheehan (suspended) and Ben Seymour (ankle) still on the sidelines. Hamish Angus has had little experience in the top grade for Warringah, while Manly's No.10 Mark Swanepoel is more comfortable at scrumhalf.
This is a match where the big names need to step up, and with plenty of rep stars on the field a big crowd is expected to be on hand to see it.

Warringah: 1. Pek Cowan, 2. Luke Holmes, 3. Richard Southern; 4. Brent Murphy, 5. Tom Hockings; 6. Beau Robinson, 7. Michael Lipman [c], 8. Trevor Richardson; 9. Josh Holmes, 10. Hamish Angus; 11. Joelin Rapana, 12. Sam Harris, 13. Josh Toole, 14. Dylan Smouha; 15. Pat McCabe.
Manly: 1. Eddie Aholelei, 2. Elvis Taione, 3. Tim Fairbrother; 4. Dylan Sigg, 5. Greg Peterson; 6. Will Brame [c], 7. Chris Westekenk, 8. Tevita Metuisela; 9. Chris Cottee, 10. Mark Swanepoel; 11. Lui Siale, 12. Tyrone Smith, 13. Brian Sefanaia, 14. Nemani Nadolo; 15. Adam D'Arcy.
Referee: Damien Mitchelmore

Northern Suburbs (9th) v Gordon (10th) at North Sydney Oval (3:00pm)
Adam Ashley-Cooper is making a rare appearance for the Shoremen in their local derby against Gordon tomorrow and could play vital role in the all-important clash at North Sydney Oval.
With Cameron Shepherd also named in the Norths back three, there is the possibility the pair of Wallaby squad members could find themselves playing alongside each other again next weekend in a gold jersey against the Springboks in Brisbane.
Gordon has taken a tumble down the rankings in 2010 and their lack of form against teams higher than them on the ladder has been the critical element to their demise. The Highlanders have won just two of their last nine fixtures and they were against Parramatta and Penrith, the only sides behind them on the ladder. Josh Keil makes a welcome return to the Gordon No.10 jersey after making his Samoan Test debut from the bench against Japan last month.
Similarly, Norths have only won three of their last ten matches - two of them against Parramatta and Penrith - however a recent victory over West Harbour and the ability to provide a scare to the likes of Souths, Warringah, Easts and Randwick has made many teams wary of the red and blacks.
On a positive note, both teams are still mathematical possibilities of making the top six,and a run of wins over the next month could see either side remain in contention for a playoff spot.

Northern Suburbs: 1. Dave Goulter, 2. Scott Podmore, 3. Nick Lah [c]; 4. Ben Matwijow, 5. Seti Tafua; 6. AJ Gilbert, 7. Carlos Blanco, 8. Matt Lamont; 9. Steve Evans, 10. Hadley Jackson; 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Chris Burnett, 13. James Lew, 14. Cam Crawford; 15. Cameron Shepherd.
Gordon: 1. Marty Plokstys, 2. Ben Whittaker, 3. Tobius Gukibau; 4. Jared Barry, 5. Mark Johnson; 6. Paulie Tuala, 7. Chris Alcock, 8. Jason Peseta; 9. Tom Sully, 10. Josh Keil; 11. Sai Vakaru, 12. Dave Harvey [c], 13. Dane Haylett-Petty, 14. Matt McDougall; 15. Dion Berryman.
Referee: Andrew Lees

West Harbour (8th) v Eastwood (3rd) at Concord Oval (3:00pm)
Wallaby prop Benn Robinson is expected to make his first appearance since May when Eastwood travel to Concord Oval to take on West Harbour.
Robinson re-fractured his arm in the HSBC Waratahs' second last round of the Super 14 against the Chiefs and while not named by the Woodies this week, the Test prop has publicly indicated his willingness to take the field on Saturday in preparation for the Wallabies' Tri-Nations opener in Brisbane next weekend.
Lachie Turner left the field with a hand injury in Eastwood's big win over Norths last weekend and has not been named in the starting XV.
While Eastwood is within five points of the competition lead and the Pirates have dropped out of the top six, this match is expected to be a tough battle. The Pirates only have one draw to show from their last month of football following tight losses to Souths and Easts, a four-try-all loss to Norths and a deadlock with Warringah. Had the bounce of the ball gone their way in a couple of those fixtures, Wests position on the table could be a lot different going into the last nine rounds of the regular season.
After a stellar performance from the bench last week, Australian Sevens rep Sam Latunipulu has been named to start at flanker for the Pirates.

West Harbour: 1. Campese Ma'afu, 2. Todd Pearce, 3. Vaughan Lomax; 4. Steve Mafi, 5. Tom Hikila; 6. Sione Tau, 7. Sam Latunipulu, 8. David Fungalei; 9. David Fong, 10. Jai Ayoub; 11. Tito Mua, 12. Lester Salanoa, 13. Rory Sidey, 14. Macquire Tatola; 15. Dave Paurini.
Eastwood: 1. Simon Norris, 2. Damien Fitzpatrick, 3. Keiran Longbottom; 4. Tom Alexander, 5. Jared Hanna; 6. Gareth Palamo, 7. Hugh Perrett [c], 8. Locky McCaffrey; 9. James Stannard, 10. James Foote; 11. Nathan Brecht, 12. Sione Piukala, 13. Michael MacDougall, 14. John Grant; 15. Ben Batger.
Referee: Julian Pritchard (WA)

Southern Districts (1st) v Sydney University (7th) at Forshaw Rugby Park (3:00pm)
Southern Districts are in danger of giving up top spot on the Tooheys New Shute Shield ladder if they cannot get the better of an improving Sydney Uni outfit at Forshaw Rugby Park.
The Rebels have sat stop the table since round four however now find themselves in a battle for the minor premiership with Manly and Eastwood who are both within five points of the front-runners. Souths have lost to both of those sides - their only two losses of the season - within the last three weeks but will be hoping to turn that around with their third victory over the Students in their last four encounters.
However they will have to do it without Reds lock Radike Samo (suspended) and former Brumbies hooker John Ulugia (pectoral) which will be a big challenge against one of the strongest packs in the comp.
Uni seem to be on the improve and are knocking on the door of the top six, however three of their past four wins have come against the bottom three teams on the ladder making it hard to read too much into their form. In fact, just one of their six wins this season - a three-point win against Manly five weeks ago - has come against a team ranked ahead of them on the ladder.
While the Students side is still strong on paper they are a side still not at full strength with Phil Waugh, Daniel Halangahu, Berrick Barnes, Luke Burgess, Alfi Mafi, Dean Mumm and Ben McCalman all out of action this week.

Southern Districts: 1. Tetera Faulkner, 2. Sam Zlatevski, 3. Nic Henderson; 4. Rome Nifo, 5. Kane Douglas; 6. Matt Trouville, 7. Sean Doyle, 8. Ita Vaea; 9. Nathan Sievert, 10. Josh Gamgee [c]; 11. Ben Schreiber, 12. Bernie Orbell, 13. Brackin Karauria-Henry, 14. Sisa Waqa; 15. Nicky Price.
Sydney University: 1. Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 2. Nathan Charles, 3. Jeremy Tilse; 4. Sam Carter, 5. Dave McDuling; 6. Dave Dennis, 7. Pat McCutcheon, 8. Tim Davidson [c]; 9. Nick Phipps, 10. Dan Kelly; 11. Peter Betham, 12. Tom Carter, 13. Lachie Mitchell, 14. Nathan Trist; 15. Julian Huxley.
Referee: Simon Moore (QLD)


Parramatta (12th) v Penrith (11th) at Granville Park (3:00pm)
Parramatta's best opportunity for victory in 2010 comes at home this weekend when the Two Blues meet Penrith at Granville Park in the battle of the west.
The return of Tatafu Polota-Nau proved inspirational for Parramatta last weekend while they are also showing far more potency in attack with the inclusion of 38-Test Tongan international Pierre Hola and former Italy Sevens rep Steve Bortolussi. The Two Blues were within nine points of the Students at half time last week and were just six points behind Manly with ten minutes to go the week before, showing they aren't too far away from a breakthrough win.
The Emus on the other hand have tailed off in recent weeks after providing scares to many of the leading lights in the competition. In particular, the Penrith defence has gone off the boil conceding 204 points in the last three rounds.
Just five points separated these two teams when they met in April, and with bragging rights on the line for another year this match is set to be far more exciting than their positions on the table may indicate.
Parramatta: 1.Richard Just, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 3. Lui Sakaria; 4. Ryan Aniseko, 5. Sam Evalu; 6. Maile Latekefu, 7. Andrew Cox [c], 8. William Tuitupou; 9. Lua Vailoaloa, 10. Pierre Hola; 11. Brendan Lane, 12. John Fonua, 13. Tom Woods, 14. Moses Tavola; 15. Steve Bortolussi.
Penrith: 1. Dave Coventry, 2. John Aho, 3. Toa Asa; 4. Johnny Smith, 5. Richard Aho; 6. Chris Aho, 7. Winnie Paulo, 8. Vili Napa'a; 9. Lee Pula, 10. Stan Tuionuku; 11. Davo Alo, 12. Tawhiri Walsh, 13. Henry Lilomaiava, 14. Filipo Toala; 15. Luke Cross [c].
Referee: Angus Gardner


Eastern Suburbs (4th) v Randwick (5th) at Woollahra Oval (3:00pm)
A solitary competition point separates Easts and Randwick on the competition ladder and their clash at Woollahra Oval is set to be just as tight.
Their round three encounter at Coogee was a largely one-sided affair with Brendan McKibbin putting in a dominant display as Easts consolidated their top spot on the ladder with a bonus point win.
However the stage set this time around could not be more different with just three members of Randwick's starting XV from that day turning out at Woollahra tomorrow afternoon. Significantly, in-form backs Drew Mitchell, Kurtley Beale and Nick Cummins have been named in an exciting backline which also includes Wallaby half Josh Valentine and Western Force recruit Gene Fairbanks.
Eastern Suburbs have named an unchanged team from the side which scored a last-minute victory over West Harbour last weekend. The inclusion of Huia Edmonds and Matt Hodgson will no doubt help to provide a great battle up front with the likes of Sekope Kepu, Lala Lam and Ben Mowen, while Ryan Cross and Damon Anderson provide plenty of opportunities out wide for the Beasts.

Eastern Suburbs: 1. Ofa Fainga'anuku, 2. Huia Edmonds, 3. Guy Shepherdson; 4. Phil Mathers, 5. Ed Brenac; 6. Matt Hodgson, 7. Will Brock, 8. Andrew Shaw; 9. Brendan McKibbin, 10. Matt To'omua; 11. Damon Anderson, 12. Ben Ward, 13. Ryan Cross, 14. Anton Lavin; 15. Pat Dellit.
Randwick: 1. Sekope Kepu, 2. John Fonokalafi, 3. Lotu Taukeiaho; 4. Dave Parsons, 5. Steve Brennan; 6. Seilala Lam, 7. Dave Vizer, 8. Ben Mowen; 9. Josh Valentine, 10. Brent Kelly; 11. Drew Mitchell, 12. Gene Fairbanks, 13. Nick Cummins, 14. Bevu Tuqiri; 15. Kurtley Beale.
Referee: Stephen Hill (QLD)

[travelling_gerry]

After a round full of local derbies, the Marlins are now three points clear of Southern Districts who dropped their third game of the season to Sydney University. Eastwood are now tied with Souths following a late win over West Harbour while Eastern Suburbs jumped clear of local rivals Randwick with an eight-try win. Northern Suburbs remain in finals contention after a bonus point win over Gordon while Parramatta achieved their best result of the year in a 17-all draw with Penrith.

Tooheys New Shute Shield - Round 14 Scores
Manly 24 d Warringah 20 at Pittwater Rugby Park
Northern Suburbs 36 d Gordon 19 at North Sydney Oval
Eastwood 27 d West Harbour 24 at Concord Oval
Sydney University 43 d Southern Districts 10 at Forshaw Rugby Park
Parramatta 17 drew with Penrith 17 at Granville Park
Eastern Suburbs 46 d Randwick 34 at Woollahra Oval


Warringah v Manly at Pittwater Rugby Park
Manly has moved to the top of the Tooheys New Shute Shield ladder with a 24-20 victory over Warringah in front of a huge crowd at Pittwater Rugby Park.

The Rats scored two tries in each half, however it was a courageous defensive effort which drove the Marlins to a victory which further reinforces their premiership credentials.

Warringah were first on the board through a Sam Harris penalty in the sixth minute, however despite dominating possession and the flow of penalties through the opening quarter of the match the home side could not add to their lead.

It was Manly who crossed for the first try of the game through powerhouse wing Nemani Nadolo, with Adam D'Arcy converting for a four point advantage.

However Warringah were quick to hit back with a try to Beau Robinson after some great lead-up work from Josh Holmes, Pat McCabe and Trevor Richardson.

Just when it looked like the Rats would take a 10-7 lead into the break, replacement centre Kurt Mulcahy broke the line and put D'Arcy into a hole with the fullback stepping inside Joelin Rapana and running 25m to score under the posts. He converted his own try to leave the Marlins with a 14-10 half-time lead.

Manly came out with all guns blazing in the second half and weight of territory eventually saw Neil Meyer cross and extend the visitors' lead to nine points.

A long-range penalty shortly after brought the margin back within a converted try and the arm wrestle for the Bayfield Cup continued.

Eight minutes from full-time hooker Elvis Taione crossed from short range to take the Marlins out to a 24-13 lead, the biggest margin of the game.

As the clock wound down Warringah had their chances to keep the game alive however a resolute effort from the best defensive team in the competition proved decisive. A consolation try to Richardson after the bell earned Warringah a bonus point however it wasn't enough to stop Manly soaring to the top of the table.

Warringah's loss sees them drop a point behind Sydney University and outside the top six, while Manly will have mixed emotions following the win after losing Brian Sefanaia, Tevita Metuisela and Kurt Mulcahy to injury throughout the match.

Manly 24 (Nemani Nadolo, Adam D'Arcy, Neil Meyer, Elvis Taione tries; Adam D'Arcy 2 cons) d Warringah 20 (Beau Robinson, Trevor Richardson tries; Sam Harris 2 cons, 2 pens) at Pittwater Rugby Park. HT: Manly 14-10. Referee: Damien Mitchelmore.


Northern Suburbs v Gordon at North Sydney Oval
Northern Suburbs has kept its slim semi-final hopes alive with a 36-19 victory over Gordon at North Sydney Oval.

The Shoremen scored five tries to three with Cameron Shepherd possibly earning a Wallaby recall with a two-try performance. Cam Crawford also crossed twice for the home side, while in-form wing Dion Berryman collected a brace for Gordon.

Norths have moved ahead of West Harbour to eighth on the competition ladder, just four points behind sixth-placed Sydney Uni. Gordon remain in tenth place, just four points ahead of Penrith.

Northern Suburbs 36 (Cameron Shepherd 2, Cam Crawford 2, Carlos Blanco tries; Chris Burnett 4 cons, pen) d Gordon 19 (Dion Berryman 2, Dave Harvey tries; Dave Harvey 2 cons) at North Sydney Oval. HT: Northern Suburbs 26-19. Referee: Andrew Lees.


West Harbour v Eastwood at Concord Oval
Eastwood has staged an amazing second half comeback to record a 27-24 victory over West Harbour at Concord Oval.

The Pirates seemed to have the match in the bag when a 17-0 half-time lead extended to 24 points early in the second half. However the Woods scored four unanswered tries to tie the match up at 24-all to set up a grandstand finish.

The momentum was all with the visitors and a late penalty opportunity enabled Ben Batger to give Eastwood a three-point lead which they took through to the final bell.

It is the second time in as many weeks that West Harbour has conceded a late penalty which has cost them the match. The Pirates have now failed to register a win in their last five matches to slip to ninth on the ladder and six points outside the top six.

Eastwood's bonus point win keeps them in third position, however they are now on level pegging with Southern Districts on 55 competition points, just three behind front-runners Manly.

Eastwood 27 (James Stannard 2, Damien Fitzpatrick, Nathan Brecht tries; Ben Batger 2 cons, pen) d West Harbour 24 (Steve Mafi, Tom Hikila, Rory Sidey tries; David Fong 3 cons, pen) at Concord Oval. HT: West Harbour 17-0. Referee: Julian Pritchard (WA).


Southern Districts v Sydney University at Forshaw Rugby Park
Southern Districts has slumped to its third loss in four weeks going down 43-10 to Sydney University at Forshaw Rugby Park.

The match was all but over at half-time when the Students took a 22-3 lead to the sheds before the defending champions went on with it in the second half.

Uni scored five tries to one while Julian Huxley added 18 points from three penalties, three conversions and a drop goal.

The result was significant for both teams with Sydney University finally edging into the top six, while the Rebels have been displaced from the top of the competition for the first time since round four.

Sydney University 43 (Nathan Charles, Pat McCutcheon, Nick Phipps, Dan Kelly, Nathan Trist tries; Julian Huxley 3 cons, 3 pens, drop) d Southern Districts 10 (Nicky Price try; Nathan Sievert con, pen) at Forshaw Rugby Park. HT: Sydney University 22-3. Referee: Simon Moore (QLD).

Parramatta v Penrith at Granville Park
Parramatta has come as close as it could to registering its first win of the season in a 17-all draw with Penrith in the western Sydney derby at Granville Park.

The Two Blues held a one-point lead at half-time and despite Penrith scoring the only try of the second half, a succession of penalties from Pierre Hola and Tom Woods enabled the home side to stay in the game.

The result is a big boost for the battling Two Blues who had lost 27 matches in a row dating back to a round eight victory against Warringah last year. The draw also moves Penrith to within four points of Gordon on the competition ladder.

Parramatta 17 (John Fonua try; Pierre Hola 3 pens, Tom Woods pen) drew with Penrith 17 (Ray Alo, Luke Cross tries; Tahwiri Walsh 2 cons, pen) at Granville Park. HT: Parramatta 8-7. Referee: Angus Gardner.

Eastern Suburbs v Randwick at Woollahra Oval
Eastern Suburbs has turned in a comprehensive attacking performance to step clear of Randwick on the Tooheys New Shute Shield ladder with a 46-34 victory at Woollahra Oval.

Just two points separated the sides at the break, however the Beasts piled on the tries in the second half to record one of their most important victories of the year.

Huia Edmonds and Pat Dellit each crossed twice for the home side with only an off day with the boot from Brendan McKibbin preventing an even bigger win.

Bevu Tuqiri scored two of Randwick's five tries to help the Wicks to a bonus point which keeps them six points clear of sixth place ahead of next week's clash with Parramatta.

Eastern Suburbs 46 (Huia Edmonds 2, Pat Dellit 2, Ofa Fainga'anuku, Damon Anderson, Ryan Cross, Anton Lavin tries; Brendan McKibbin 3 cons) d Randwick 34 (Bevu Tuqiri 2, Matt Nethery, Gene Fairbanks, Nick Cummins tries; Kurtley Beale 3 cons, pen) at Woollahra Oval. HT: Eastern Suburbs 15-13. Referee: Stephen Hill (QLD).

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