The Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc)

Dunedin Fullback Liam Edwards scored 15 points when Dunedin beat Kaikorai 20-8 to become the first player to reach the ton this season.

Edwards, in his first season of premier rugby, has scored 102 points in just seven games and could challenge the record of 260 points scored in a season, set in 1997 by Daniel Soper (Dunedin).

Flanker Gareth Evans was the star player in the Dunedin pack which dominated possession in the second spell at Kettle Park.

There was a strong wind blowing down Kettle Park and Dunedin had to play into it in the second spell. The home side held a  13-8 lead at the break and knew it faced a battle to hold Kaikorai out in the second half.

Dunedin adopted 10-man rugby in the second spell and kept Kaikorai pinned inside its own 22m for most of the second spell.

Evans played a key role in doing so when he was moved to No 2 in the lineout and gained a monopoly of ball. The Dunedin pack drove off him and controlled 70% of the ball after the break.

Evans scored the clinching try when he used his strength in a 10m run to the line after the pack had put four phases together.

The other key players in the Dunedin pack were fellow loose forwards Joe Dobson and Hugh Blake. Front-rowers David Smart, Finnbar Boyle and Daniel Cairns were strong with the drive and pick and go.

Fullback Matt Direen was a solid defender for Kaikorai, and  flanker Adam Hill and prop Jim Stevenson were the best of the  forwards.

- Dunedin 20 (Liam Edwards, Gareth Evans  tries; Edwards 2 con, 2 pen), Kaikorai 8 (Jayden Spence try; Cam Rutherford pen). Halftime: Dunedin 13-8. Referee: Liam Scanlon.

A hat trick of tries for Liam Edwards and a double for Ashton Tuck, both in their debut games for Dunedin, were the features of the side’s romp over Zingari-Richmond at Montecillo.

Zingari-Richmond appeared to start well enough, with some exciting play, but then fell back into an error-plagued shell after Dunedin centre Tumua Ioane cut its midfield defence to shreds, setting up his side’s four first-half tries.

Dunedin quickly dispelled any hopes Zingari-Richmond may have had in mounting a comeback when Gareth Evans burst away for a 40m run off the back of a scrum to head in under the bar.

Edwards showed some individual brilliance soon after the restart and from then on the game was all Dunedin.

Edwards, who scored 25 of Dunedin’s points, is in his first year of premier rugby after playing for Otago Boys’, and Tuck is a recruit to the Dunedin team from Hawkes Bay.

Others to impress for Dunedin were halfback Brad Weber, fullback Louis Tili and lock Richard Thompson. Jeremy Bekhuis and Brady Carmichael featured for Zingari.

- Dunedin 60 (Liam Edwards 3, Ashton Tuck 2, Gareth Evans, David Smart, Louis Tili, Mark Grieve-Dunn, Brad Weber tries; Liam Edwards 5 con), Zingari-Richmond 0. Halftime: Dunedin 24-0.

The accurate goal-kicking of Luke Reihana helped Alhambra-Union beat Dunedin in a tight game at Kettle Park.

He kicked five goals to score 14 of his side’s points in a game that was in the balance until the final whistle.

Alhambra-Union’s 9-7 lead at the break was against the run of play because Dunedin held all the territory and its strong front row of David Smart, Will Henry and Kelsey Miller got the better of Alhambra-Union.

But Dunedin missed goal-kicking opportunities and did not play to its strong midfield of Michael Walding and Simon Davey.

Dunedin’s first-half try came from a lucky bounce from a kick by halfback Robbie Smith that bounced into the hands of fullback Louis Tili, who passed to flanker Sam Green for the try.

Dunedin players ran into the collision area where they met a formidable resistance in Alhambra-Union loose forwards Matt Kissick and Wahari Waitohi.

Alhambra-Union had its best quarter after the break when it extended the lead to 19-10.

Lock Scott Stevens won good line-out ball and hooker Ben Pereira was having a tigerish game in the tight-loose.

Dunedin came back into the game when No 8 Joe Dobson scored, but it ran out of time to chase the win.

Alhambra-Union 19 (Ben Pereira try; Luke Reihana conversion, 4 penalty goals), Dunedin 17 (Joe Dobson, Sam Green tries; Louis Tili conversion, Shaan Davis conversion, penalty goal).

Halftime: Alhambra-Union 9-7.

Referee: Ross Barnett.

An Invitation to join

The Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc.)

as a playing member for 2011

“The Dunedin Rugby Club model should be used as a case study by clubs around the country”

Rugby News magazine, 6th August 2009

A very warm invitation is extended to you to join the Dunedin Rugby Club as a playing member for 2011.

The club …

In 2009 won the Premier 1 Grade Championship

Has 5 rugby grounds with 2 floodlit for training.

Won the Premier 2 Grade in five of the last eight years

 Pre-season trials for all grades, followed by ‘pig-on-the-spit barbecues’.

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