Round 8 Grade Vs Gordon Roundup

Let’s start with the milestones. Duncan Chubb – 150 Grade games Damien Byrne – 100 Grade games Jared Alesi – 50 Grade games Grade got back to Forshaw after a couple of tough games on the road. After sweeping the grades against Parramatta the week before, we were looking to consolidate our improved form with another strong outing against Gordon on “Back to St George” day. First grade opened at a frenetic pace. Our forwards were immediately on the front foot and were punching holes in tight. After a couple of good phases, Matt Teki opened up some weak inside defence close to the breakdown to dance through and touch down under the posts and converted his own try. Souths up 7-0 after only 2 minutes. From the restart, Souths opted for field position and after a good exit, put Gordon under a ton of pressure inside their own half. Our scrum immediately went into default mode and demolished the Gordon pack. A couple of phases later, Matt Teki was sprung down the left flack to go over in the corner for his 2nd. Conversion was unsuccessful but Souths were up 12-0 after 7. From the next restart, Souths opted to attack. Sean Doyle took a well-timed pass from Mitch Walton to make a break down the left side, finding Deny Godinet in support who walked in for an easy try, which Matt Teki duly converted. Souths up 19-0 after 10 and it looked like we were off to the races. Gordon, however, had other ideas. Gordon managed to get some quality possession and started putting some pressure on Souths defence. While the Souths scrum remained dominant throughout, poor lineout options and execution allowed Gordon to control a good portion of the first half. Gordon exploited some sloppy right side defence and scored a converted try. Souths went into the sheds up 19-7, and we knew we had some work to do in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, the 2nd started much the same as the first ended, with Gordon exploiting Souths errors and maintaining pressure for the opening 10 minutes, culminating in a good team try. Souths great start was now a distant memory and we were scrambling at 19-14. With momentum needing a shift, Matt Barr called for reinforcements with Jason Hofmeyr, Liam Dwyer and Dewet Roos getting his first run in the top grade for 2016. Matt Teki knocked over a penalty to extend Souths lead to 22-14 and Rahboni Vasoyaco replaced Sean Doyle in the 60th minute. The use of the bench saw a lift in our intensity and Rohan Saifoloi pounced on a loose Gordon pass toeing through and regathering for a tremendous solo try. 27-14 with 14 to go. Souths regained the initiative and attacked immediately from the restart. Deny Godinet made a great mid field bust. A quick tap penalty taken by Dewet Roos found Kieran Black in support who crashed over. 34-14, 11 minutes to go. Rahboni then scored from the base on another dominant scrum to take Souths to a 39-14 lead. Gordon managed a consolation try on the bell to bring the final score to a respectable 39-21. Souths 39 (Teki 2, Godinet, Saifoloi, Black, Vosoyaco Tries – Teki 3 convs, Pen) – Gordon 21 It was great to get another sweep of all grades, although we know we definitely have our work cut out for us. This week we are up against Uni on Ladies Day. This is a huge day for the club, both on and off the field. We need to aim up which means a lot of work at training this week. Let’s put on a great show for our supporters. It is certain to be a massive day. Check out Keith’s Colts report. These boys are performing very well against some more experienced outfits. Lower Grades 2nd Grade – Souths 26 – 14 Gordon 3rd Grade – Souths 57 – 14 Gordon 4th Grade – Souths 40 – 13 Gordon Colts 1st Grade – Gordon 45 – 38 Souths 2nd Grade – Gordon 22 – 22 Souths 3rd Grade – Gordon 12 – 24 Souths Another good weekend from a club championship perspective. Let’s keep pushing each other to bigger and better things. Sean Murphy Rugby Director SDRC