The Star: July 11, 2024

22 The Star Thursday July 11 2024
SPORTS NEWS
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Resurgent Linwood look
to continue winning run
• By Sam Coughlan
LINWOOD COACH Brendon
Nolan believes his side’s midseason
form slump has made
them stronger for Saturday’s
semi-final clash with High
School Old Boys.
At one point, the Bulls sat 10th
on the ladder and had lost five
games in a row, but three wins to
end the regular season saw them
scrape into the quarter-finals
where they got up over Lincoln
University, 31-17, to book a semifinal
berth.
Nolan said he
was ‘rapt’ with
his side’s recent
results.
“It’s been
building for a
while, so it’s just
good to stick at
what we’ve been
doing and get
over like we did. It was rewarding
for everyone involved.”
Nolan said the team learned
a lot from those mid-season
results.
“We were probably just missing
those moments that we’re
grabbing now, but that may have
set us up for where we are now.
“We probably had to have a
good look at ourselves and move
forward, so, the last three or four
weeks it’s been good. We’re on
the other side of the win-loss
record.”
HSOB narrowly missed out
on automatic progression to the
Coastal face stern test against league leaders
• By Sam Coughlan
Brendon
Nolan
HAVING MADE club history
already this season, Coastal
Spirit are eyeing the top of
the Southern League as they
continue their unbeaten
campaign.
Coastal came through a
hard-fought Chatham Cup
tie with Ferrymead Bays on
Friday, eventually winning 5-3
in extra time to progress to the
quarter-finals of the nationwide
knockout competition for the
first time.
Their reward is a trip to
Auckland in two weeks to play
second-tier side Hibiscus Coast
– who have also reached this
stage of the competition for the
first time.
In the Southern League,
Coastal sit second, four points
behind league leaders Cashmere
Tech – and the two will meet on
Saturday.
Head coach Robbie Stanton
Metro rugby results
Canterbury Uni 41 HSOB
38 (qualifying final); Marist
Albion 49 Sydenham 28
(qualifying final); Linwood
31 Lincoln University 17
(elimination final); Sumner
24 Burnside 17 (elimination
final); New Brighton 38
Christchurch 14 (bottom
4); Belfast 36 Shirley 10
(bottom 4)
Fixtures (2.45pm Saturday)
HSOB v Linwood, Bob
Deans Field (semi-final);
Sydenham v Sumner,
Sydenham Park (semifinal);
Lincoln University v
Belfast, Lincoln Uni (plate
semi-final); Burnside v New
Brighton, Burnside Park
(plate semi-final); Shirley
v Christchurch, Burwood
Park (11th/12th)
preliminary finals, losing 41-38
to Canterbury University.
Sydenham also missed a
chance to progress automatically,
losing 49-28 to Marist Albion
at home, and they’ll take on
Sumner, who beat Burnside in
the quarter-finals, at Sydenham
Park on Saturday.
Lincoln Uni and Burnside
dropped into the plate
competition with their losses,
and will take on Belfast and New
Brighton respectively.
Shirley will host Christchurch
in the 11th/12th place game.
CONTROL: Coastal Spirit striker Alex Steinwascher weighs up
his options against Ferrymead Bays.
PHOTO: JIM WATTS PHOTOGRAPHY
said Saturday’s clash would
show how far Coastal have come
this season.
“We’ve clearly earmarked
this game as one we need to get
SHOT: Linwood first-five-eighth Josh Jennings looks to add to
his side’s points tally against Lincoln University.
PHOTO: BRANDON KUIPERS
something out of.
“It’s gonna be a proper test of
where we’re really at.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for
Dan (Schwarz, Tech head coach)
Chatham Cup round 4
Coastal Spirit 5 Ferrymead Bays 3
English Cup quarter-final
Western 5 Oxford FC 2
Southern League round 12
Ferrymead Bays v Dunedin CR, Ferrymead Park, 2pm
Sat; Nomads v FC Twenty 11, Tulett Park, 2.45pm Sat;
Cashmere Tech v Coastal Spirit, Garrick Park, 2.45pm
Sat; Nelson Suburbs v Selwyn Utd, Saxton Fields,
12.30pm Sun; Universities v Christchurch Utd, English
Park, 2.45pm Sun
Points
Cash Tech 31; Coastal 27; Chch Utd 24; Nelson 20; Bays
16; Nomads 14; Dunedin 13; Universities 7; Selwyn 7;
FC Twenty 0
and what he does and how he
goes about it,” Stanton said.
“They’ve led the way in
Christchurch for a number of
years, so we’ll judge ourselves
on the game coming up this
weekend.”
On Saturday, Ferrymead
Bays play another side knocked
out of the Chatham Cup at
Local derby
win key for
Halswell’s
playoffs goal
• By Sam Coughlan
HALSWELL Hornets can lock
up a Canterbury rugby league
premiership playoff spot with a win
in Saturday’s penultimate round.
If they get up over Hornby,
Halswell would book their spot
in the top four, and potentially
the top-two if Riccarton lose to
Eastern.
But head coach Ray Hubbard
said he wasn’t looking too far
ahead.
“There are scenarios where
we can finish first, there’s also
scenarios where we can miss the
top four altogether. So for us, we’re
prioritising winning first.”
Hubbard said Hornby would be
stern opposition.
“Jed (Lawrie, Hornby coach)
always seems to get his teams
timing their run in the semi-finals.
It’s going to make a real torrid local
derby.”
The other matches see Linwood
Keas – already confirmed of a
semi-finals spot – look to put one
hand on top spot, and with it the
Massetti Cup.
If they beat Greymouth on
Saturday, they’ll just need a draw
from their final match against
Riccarton.
Saturday’s other match sees
Riccarton host Eastern, who need a
win to stay in playoff contention.
Points: Linwood Keas
16; Halswell Hornets 14;
Riccarton Knights 14; Hornby
Panthers 13; Eastern Eagles
11; Greymouth Greyhounds 4
the weekend – Dunedin City
Royals, who went down 3-2 to
Otago University, while Nomads
host winless FC Twenty 11 in a
north-west derby.
On Sunday, Christchurch
United will host Universities
and Selwyn United make the
trip north to take on Nelson
Suburbs at Saxon Park.