Spotlight on Southland Sport: Sunday Special
The Southland Tribune wraps up some key moments in the Southland sporting weekend. Enjoy.
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Stag Day: An example of what rugby so desperately needs
It wasn’t the result the invasion of Stags supporters was hoping for. But Saturday night was an example of what the sport of rugby in New Zealand so desperately needs at the moment. (READ MORE HERE).
Southland Rams ready for 2023 campaign…
The Southland Rams rugby league team - coached this year by Shannon Gage - has put together its wider-squad for its 2023 campaign.
Southland will open its season next Saturday against Aoraki in Invercargill.
The experienced Dylan Lovett and Kieran Turuwhenua have been named co-captains of the Rams.
Q&A: Two gold medals, 50-year gap
Southland came away from the recent national cross-country champs in Taupo with just two medals. Fifty years in age separated them. (READ MORE HERE).
Get your corpor8 rowing team sorted….
The Waihopai Rowing Club’s Corpor8 Rowing Challenge is about to celebrate 21 years. The club is calling on organisations to get their entries together.
No previous experience is required, and teams will train weekly in the lead up under the guidance of knowledgeable coaches.
Races will be 500m long and it is viewed as team building event. The use of rowers that have competed in club, senior, and premier level is prohibited.
The event has been based on crews of eight, but organisers stress if you are a small business or can not get eight participants there is a quad racing session.
The main event will be held on November 11, although prior to that there will also be an indoor rowing challenge.
Gough takes out Gore to Waikiwi Cycle Classic…
Hunter Gough has won the 2023 Gore to Waikiwi Cycle Classic.
On top of that he also claimed the fastest time of 1 hour, and 28 minutes in Saturday’s race.
Luke Macpherson claimed second and Liam O'Rourke third place, along with the fastest junior.
MacPherson also took home the Noel Eade trophy for the fastest veteran in the Geo W Wilson and Sons Limited- sponsored event.
In the U13 race, newcomer Zach Hibbs took the win ahead of Holly White in second place, and Jamie Russell in third place. Jamie was the fastest time of the day.
The U15 and U17 race saw Oliver White home in first place, Benjie Shayler second, and Poppy McIvor in third. Ben Wyatt was the fastest male, and McIvor the fastest female.
Queens Park does it again….
Queens Park’s AFC has extended its impressive run in the Southern Premier League.
The Paddy Murphy-coached team headed into Saturday’s game against Wanaka winning six of its past seven games.
It made it seven from eight on Saturday at the ILT Turf in Invercargill with a 1-0 win over Wanaka.
Queens Park’s sole goal came in the 22nd minute through Michael Larsen.
Queens Park is the sole Southland club in the competition and sits fourth in the 10-team league.
Its next assignment will be an away trip to take on third-placed Northern AFC in Dunedin on Saturday.
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In case you missed it….
Short-term quest for long-term success? Rugby Southland’s Matt Saunders would love to be able to pick a Stags squad solely from club rugby but says even Auckland and Canterbury don’t do that. In a wide-ranging interview with The Roaring Pen podcast Saunders - the director of rugby - talked about how the short-term and long-term strategy for Southland’s high-performance setup worked together. (READ MORE HERE).
Relationship strong: The Invercargill-based SBS Bank has extended its sponsorship of the Highlanders for a further two years and Highlanders CEO Roger Clark says its Southland ties are as strong as ever - including with Rugby Southland. (READ MORE HERE).
Southlander helps team sprint break national record - twice
The opening day of the UCI 2023 Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Cali, Colombia proved busy but with lots of positives, without yielding medals. In the mix were Southland cyclists Caitlin Kelly, Magnus Jamieson, and Marshall Erwood. (READ MORE HERE).