Students give Highlanders a Rugby lesson
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Saturday, 3 May 2008
NSWRU Media Unit
Sydney University have once again defined what 80 minute Rugby means with a commanding second half performance at Chatswood Oval in round six of the Tooheys New Shute Shield.
Skipper Tim Davidson attacks
Sydney University skipper Tim Davidson finds space against Gordon [2008 Tooheys New Shute Shield Round 6 - Gordon v Sydney University at Chatswood Oval]
Eastwood celebrate Chris Hill's try
Eastwood celebrate a try to replacement hooker Chris Hill [2008 Tooheys New Shute Shield Round 6 - Eastwood v Randwick at T.G. Millner Field]
Two-try hero Will Brame offloads for the Marlins
Two-try hero Will Brame offloads for the Marlins [2008 Tooheys New Shute Shield Round 6 - Northern Suburbs v Manly at North Sydney Oval]
West Harbour flyer John Sinisa
West Harbour flyer John Sinisa [2008 Tooheys New Shute Shield Round 6 - Parramatta v West Harbour at Two Blues Park]
In other matches, Manly scored their first win for the 2008 however Penrith fell just short of theirs, Eastwood scored a big upset while Easts and West Harbour maintained their places in the top six.
GORDON V SYDNEY UNIVERSITY AT CHATSWOOD OVAL
Sydney University scored four tries in less than 15 minutes midway through the second half to take the sting out of Gordon and propel them to a 38-18 victory at Chatswood Oval in the ABC TV Match of the Day.
After taking a narrow lead into the break, Gordon hit back at the start of the second half however University stepped it up a gear to show why they are on top of the table.
Gordon started the match with all guns blazing, keen to extend their perfect home record for 2008, and were dominating possession and field position early on.
It was not long before scrumhalf Vinnie Byrne was driven over by his forwards for the game's opening try, and when Dave Harvey added a penalty to his successful conversion the Highlanders were up 10-0.
Once Uni got their hands on the ball they started to show what they could do, and when Daniel Halangahu hit a gap at pace 15 metres out he touched down under the posts.
Having survived the opening quarter of the match, the Gordon forwards were starting to succumb to the well-drilled Uni pack and the Students started to gain the ascendency.
They were rewarded in the 25th minute when Dan Kelly released wing Lachlan Rosengreen who showed some neat footwork to beat the final defenders and score adjacent to the upright.
Halangahu made no mistake with the conversion and University held a 14-10 lead.
The Students continued to let themselves down at the lineout, losing five on their own throw in the opening 40 minutes, and Gordon were able to compete for extended periods.
Harvey piloted another penalty for Gordon as the bell sounded for half-time, seeing Uni go to the break with just a one point lead.
The Highlanders hit the front in the 42nd minute when Terry Preston pilfered at the breakdown and ran 80 metres for an 18-14 advantage, however it would be the last time Gordon lead.
In a 13 minute stretch midway through the second half, University ran in 24 unanswered points to streak away with the match.
Outside centre Lachlan Mitchell crossed in the right corner in the 55th minute after a mountain of possession, Halangahu's sideline conversion giving the Students a 21-18 lead.
Three minutes later Dan Kelly crossed under the posts to extend the lead to ten.
Then one of the great sights of the competition hit Chatswood, with Uni prop Jerry Yanuyanutawa streaking away on one of his trademark runs down the flank. A last ditch attempt by Harvey saw the bullocking No.1 ankle tapped, however he popped a beautiful ball to Nick Haydon who touched down in the corner.
Seven minutes later Haydon took a ball from the lineout down the blindslide and crossed for his second and University had scored four tries between the 55th and 68th minutes to seal the match.
Both sides worked their bench in the final stages and while Uni took the foot off the accelerator, they held on for a commanding 38-18 bonus point victory to maintain a commanding position at the top of the table.
Sydney University 38 (Nick Haydon 2, Daniel Halangahu, Lachlan Rosengreen, Lachlan Mitchell, Dan Kelly tries; Daniel Halangahu 4 cons) d Gordon 18 (Vinnie Byrne, Terry Preston tries; Dave Harvey 2 pens, con) at Chatswood Oval. Half-time: Sydney University 14-13. Referee: Ian Smith.
EASTERN SUBURBS V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS AT WOOLLAHRA OVAL
Easts have scored a bonus point victory at home to get their season back on track with a 40-18 win over Southern Districts.
After winning their first three matches of the season, Easts lost their last two to drop to seventh however their five tries to two victory sees them back in the top six ahead of next week's encounter with Manly.
Souths were down by just nine at half time and well in the game, however the Rebels could not overcome a rampaging Easts line-up in the second half.
Eastern Suburbs 40 (Tom Egan, Vitori Buatava, Tom Azar, Fergus Dorney, Pat Dellit tries; Gavin Debartolo 3 cons, 3 pens) d Southern Districts 18 (Dennis Pili, James McCormack tries; Darren Kapene 2 pens, Michael Black con) at Woollahra Oval. Half-time: Eastern Suburbs 20-11. Referee: Andrew Lees.
EASTWOOD V RANDWICK AT T.G. MILLNER FIELD
Eastwood have scored the upset of the round by thrashing Randwick 41-14 at T.G. Millner Field.
Sitting in second going into round six, Randwick were expected to come out on top however Eastwood turned in their best performance of the season in the six tries to two victory.
The win lifts Eastwood to the cusp of the top six, while Ratu Nasiganiyavi continued his huge year for the Wicks, scoring his ninth try.
Eastwood 41 (Josh Dunning, Filipo Toala, Jesse Leota, Nathan Powyer, Ben Batger, Chris Hill tries; Ben Batger 4 cons, pen) d Randwick 14 (Metui Meile, Ratu Nasiganiyavi tries; Daniel Nethery 2 cons) at T.G. Millner Field. Half-time: Eastwood 13-0. Referee: Nathan Pearce.
NORTHERN SUBURBS V MANLY AT NORTH SYDNEY OVAL
Manly have dominated the second half to score a 39-23 victory over Northern Suburbs and record their first win of the season.
Will Brame crossed twice for the Marlins on their way to the bonus point result which was earned by outgunning Norths 20-3 in the second forty.
Norths led 20-19 at the break and had their chances, however after throwing away opportunities in the opening month of the competition, Manly finally fulfilled their potential to break their duck for 2008.
Manly 39 (Will Brame 2, Dylan Sigg, Mark Fisher, Luke Johnson, Lupini Siale tries; Daniel Collins 3 cons, pen) d Northern Suburbs 23 (David Maunsell, David Bond, Andrew Smith tries; Todd Sly 2 pens, con)at North Sydney Oval. Half-time: Northern Suburbs 20-19. Referee: James Scholtens.
PARRAMATTA V WEST HARBOUR AT TWO BLUES PARK
West Harbour has survived a fright to record a 33-30 victory over Parramatta at Two Blues Park.
West Harbour scored five tries to four, with Nick Reily grabbing a double for the victors while Parramatta No.8 John Natadra collected a hat-trick.
With back-to-back victories in the last two rounds, the Two Blues backed themselves to cause an upset and finished just two points short, earning two bonus points in the process.
West Harbour 33 (Nick Reily 2, James King, Lester Salanoa, John Sinisa tries; Ben Martin 4 cons) d Parramatta 30 (John Natadra 3, Paula Kaveinga tries; Josh Weeks 2 cons, 2 pens) at Two Blues Park. Half-time: West Harbour 28-12. Referee: Steve Hardy.
PENRITH V WARRINGAH AT WESTERN WEEKENDER STADIUM
Penrith scared the life out of Warringah at Western Weekender Stadium, however the Rats eventually ran out 35-31 victors to maintain their place in the top six.
Warringah scored five tries to four, and took advantage of the Emus inconsistent defence to record their fourth victory of the season.
Penrith scored two bonus points in the loss, however were left ruing missed opportunities in the dying stages which may have resulted in their first win of the season.
Warringah 35 (James Catt, Sam Hutcherson, Peter Owens, Ed Doyle, Willie Bishop tries; Clint Eadie 2 cons, 2 pens) d Penrith 31 (Campbell Sione, Sia'a Taveuveu, Patrick Mekuri, Solomona Fanifo tries; Jono Rolfe 4 cons, pen) at Concord Oval. Half-time: Warringah 20-10. Referee: Michael Blair.