Waikato stuns Southland 19-9 in opening match of ITM Cup- Rugby News
Waikato has stunned the provincial side of Southland by 19-9 in their opening match of the ongoing ITM Cup 2011. The match was played on July 15, in Rugby Park, in Invercargill as Stephen Donald graced his Waikato side with 19 individual points during the
clash. The rough weather had an impact on the match but the Waikato team had played well to overcome their opponent.
Donald had a good time in the match as he scored on every opportunity he was provided. He kicked four successful penalty shots into the goals of Southland along with one conversion and a well handled try. On the other hand the South land side was helped
by Scott Eade, who scored on three penalty shots for his team.
The Waikato team ran into the match very quickly and took an early lead over the Southlanders. The early Waikato lead kept their rivals under immense pressure, which helped them until the end of the match. They were leading in the match with 10-0 just after
the 16th minute of the first-half.
Waikato ended the first-half of the game with a slight difference of 13-9 and a tough competition was expected between the sides. However, the second part of the match went on at a snail’s pace. The Southlanders could not add any points to their total and
the winning side managed to score on two penalty shots with the help of Donald.
The clash had a very interesting side story as both sides were shown yellow cards in the match. The match referee, Garratt Williamson, sin-binned Romana Graham and Josh Bekhuis, who were were sent off the field in the 15th minute for having a
row. Two more players were penalised by the referee before the interval break.
Waikato will take on Bay of Plenty and Southland will face Hawks Bay on July 19 in their next clashes of the ITM Cup 2011.
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