Selwyn Times: September 19, 2018

22 Wednesday September 19 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
SELWYN TIMES
Darfield gracious over Super Rugby loss
• By Jacob Page
DARFIELD RUGBY Club
president Scott McIlroy has
congratulated Southbridge on
being named the host of the
Crusaders v Highlanders Super
Rugby pre-season game next
year.
Darfield hosted last year’s
Farmlands Cup fixture and
drew a crowd of 5500, including
then-Prime Minister Bill
English
But the Canterbury Rugby
Football Union’s insistence a
spectator mound be constructed
appears to have been Darfield’s
undoing.
McIlroy said in May,
constructing a mound on the
ground is not viable due to
summer sport use.
Southbridge, the home of All
Blacks great Dan Carter, will
host the game next year and
while a date has not been confirmed,
it will be prior to round
SPORTS
one on February 15.
“We knew several months
ago the game wasn’t going to be
coming back,” McIlroy said.
“It is a shame because the
club worked really hard to try to
make sure we had the event for
at least a couple of years but it’s
just one of those things.”
“We wish Southbridge all the
best in hosting it and it is at least
a positive that the game will
remain in the Ellesmere region.”
“At the end of the day the
facilities that we have are what
we have and trying to make one
game a year work to please the
Canterbury Rugby Union probably
isn’t in our best interests.”
“We’ll keep working hard to
make sure our facilities are good
for our members,” said McIlroy.
Southbridge president Hamish
Gilbert said he was delighted his
club would host the game.
“It is fantastic to see the
Crusaders bringing their preseason
game out into the rural
community, especially to a
part of Canterbury that has a
very long and proud history of
rugby,” he said.
“We look forward to hosting
this prestigious event and being
able to showcase our fabulous
facilities to the wider rugby
community.”
Country own worst enemy
TOUGH DAY: Canterbury Country handed back the Farmers
Cup to Otago Country after a 33-29 loss in Rangiora on Saturday. ​
• By Jacob Page
CANTERBURY Country were
their own worst enemies in a
33-29 loss to Otago Country in
Rangiora on Saturday.
Canterbury Country coach
Nigel Smith said poor passing
and an inability to look after the
ball for long enough meant the
Farmers Cup went south for the
summer.
“We didn’t make the most of
our good start,” Smith said. “We
were our own worst enemy and I
left feeling we lost the game more
than they won it.”
“We let six or seven
opportunities go begging and
that kept them in the game.”
Smith said despite the attacking
for much of the first half,
his team was only level 12-12 at
halftime.
“The dropped ball and the
passing issues we had cost us,”
he said.
A change at halftime saw
Glenmark replacement halfback
Jordy Gray score a crucial try and
the hosts had the advantage yet
again. More errors would follow
and Otago Country pounced.
“Their tries came against the
run of play and that was frustrating.”
Smith said both the scrum
and line out worked well and
provided a decent platform for
winning rugby.
He praised centre Rob Samson
who had made the shift into the
midfield from fullback.
“He had good footwork and
soft hands,” he said. “When he
tried to bust through the defensive
line he had a lot of success.”
Tight head prop Patrick Clegg
was another who impressed with
his work-rate at scrum time and
around the park.
“He’s had a big season for us,”
Smith said.
“He’s done his scrummaging
work really well but it’s been his
ball carrying which has been a
big improvement in his game.”
Canterbury Country will finish
their representative season with a
game against Canterbury Maori
at Linfield Park on Saturday.
The kick-off time is yet to be
confirmed.
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