Rivals went head to head this weekend in club rugby as topsides were challenged in a number of blockbuster matches.
What clubs were victorious this week?
QUEENSLAND PREMIER GRADE – ROUND FIVE
All top teams continued their run of dominance this week in the Hospital Challenge Cup with all the teams higher on the ladder beating their respective counterparts.
UQ continue their unbeaten streak delivering a heavy loss to Sunnybank led by number eight lona Halaholo who bagged a hattrick on the day. Brothers got an easy win over Norths going up by 10 points while in one of the closer matchups of the weekend Easts nearly secured the comeback of the round just going down to Wests 24-29.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
In what was a seesaw of a matchup GPS got the jump on Bond University coming through with a 12-point victory. Backrower Matthew Gicquel stood out for Jeeps taking their final two tries giving them a big enough lead to hold back the hosts for the rest of the game.
Results:
Brothers 29 – 19 Norths
Bond University 22 – 34 GPS
Easts 24 – 29 Wests
Sunnybank 7 – 39 University of Queensland
Souths - BYE
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SHUTE SHIELD - ROUND FIVE
We were spoilt with some classic matches last weekend in the Charter Hall Shute Shield competition. The Warringah Rats came home in the clutch against Eastwood winning by four points while Norths came out on top against Wests Harbour with a 15-22 scoreline. The competition saw a few blowouts as well with Easts comfortably beating the Two Blues by 42 points out in Orange and the Hunter Wildfires smashed Penrith by 76 points in Newcastle.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
Southern Districts were heartbroken by Gordan last weekend in a physical clash that came down to the wire. It took until the 87th minute for Gordan to steal victory with halfback Jacob Abel scoring after the bell. The loss sees Souths slide to tenth on the Charter Hall Shute Shield ladder, with a round three victory against Warringah and three bonus points to their name.
Results:
Gordan 26 – 23 Souths
Eastwood 37 – 40 Warringah
Eastern Suburbs 50 – 8 Two Blues
West Harbour 15 – 22 Norths
Hunter Wildfires 86 – 10 Penrith
Sydney Uni 48 – 13 Manly
Randwick – BYE
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JOHN I DENT CUP - ROUND THREE
It was another high scoring, open play affair in the John I Dent cup this weekend as top position is now locked up between three clubs. The Tuggeranong Vikings are back into form with their second win on the trot against the Canberra royals. The Owls also sailed into top position with a convincing 32-21 win over Gungahlin. They'll be glad to be back to their winning ways after falling agonisingly close to the Vikings last round.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
Wests were on a roll coming into round four of the John I Dent cup winning their first three matches of the season. They didn’t expect a big fight up from a winless Queanbeyan side, subsequently they went down by a convincing 18 points at home. One clear standout was White's outside centre Brendan Jimenez who couldn’t be stopped scoring two electric tries with seemingly no space at all.
Results:
Uni-Norths 32 - 21 Gungahlin
Royals 25 - 32 Tuggeranong
Wests 24 - 42 Queanbeyan
FORTESCUE PREMIER GRADE - ROUND FIVE
There were some absolute nail biters in the Fortescue Premier Grade in one of the most exciting weekends of rugby the West has displayed so far. Kalamunda was able to force leaders UWA into a huge upset with the match being decided through an intercept try after the 80th minute. Wanneroo also beat Wests Scarborough at the bell, drilling a penalty from almost halfway to win the game. Nedlands and Palmyra both had hugely convincing wins while Coastal Cavaliers and Southern Lions also came away victors showing their supremacy in the South.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
This week saw the biggest club rivalry in Western Australia take place in the ‘Battle of Broome Street’ between Cottesloe and Associates. Doubling as a grand-final replay, the clash has been one of the most anticipated this season with Cottesloe taking away bragging rights last year. Played at the picturesque Harvey Field the match was extremely tight only to be decided with a kick after regular time. Soaks were lucky enough to escape a draw after Cottesloe missed the final penalty kick gifting the away side a 16-19 win.
Results:
Cottesloe 16 - 19 Associates
Curtin Uni 22 – 43 Coastal Cavaliers
Kalamunda 23 – 18 UWA
Nedlands 48 – 26 Joondalup
Palmyra 52 – 23 Perth Bayswater
ARKs 26 – 48 Southern Lions
Wanneroo 27 – 25 Wests Scarborough
DEWAR SHIELD - ROUND FOUR
The Melbourne Unicorns continue to charge ahead in Victoria putting another huge win on the board against Footscray remaining undefeated with a 78-point win. Melbourne Uni got their first win on the board beating Endeavour Hills by 12 points while Harlequins were just too good for Box Hill winning comfortably on the road by 35 points.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
In the closest match this round Moorabbin outplayed Powerhouse to jump to equal second on the table. Emmanuel Sefo was one of the highlights in the match dominating around the ruck. This match gives Powerhouse their first loss this season, the side is hoping they don't repeat the same performance and drop even further on the table.
Results:
Footscray 3 – 81 Melbourne Unicorns
Melbourne Uni 34 – 22 Endeavour Hills
Moorabbin 24 – 20 Power House
Box Hill 20 – 55 Harlequins
COOPERS PREMIER GRADE - ROUND FIVE
Round five in the Coopers Premier Grade saw a number of classic matches take place. Brighton and Burnside both remain undefeated with wins over the weekend, both building towards a fierce matchup when they face each other in round 10. Towards the bottom end of the table Woodville gained victory over Port Adelaide winning easily by 20 points.
RUGBY.com.au Highlight of The Round:
It looks like Souths are getting their season back on track after beating the third-placed Old Collegians. Inside centre Farasiko Ranuku seemed to be the star of the afternoon scoring three of his sides five tries. Luke Grebenshikoff was also a key contributor in the match nailing four out of his five conversions leading Souths to an impressive victory.
Results:
Onkaparinga 24 – 33 Burnside
Southern Suburbs 33 – 22 Old Collegians
Port Adelaide 14 – 34 Woodville
Elizabeth 14 – 19 Brighton
Adelaide University - BYE
