The LU Premier Men's Rugby side have qualified in second place for the Hawkins Metro Championship Semi-Finals where they will play a repeat of Saturday's match against Shirley. The LAMBS have come off the BYE and will face HSOB at Bob Deans.

RAMS IN TOP FOUR PLAY SHIRLEY AGAIN IN SEMI 

JULY 13 2019 LINCOLN UNIVERSITY v SHIRLEY At Lincoln: Lincoln University 23 (Josh Bokser, Fletcher Newell tries; Sam Gilbert 2 conv, 3 pen) beat Shirley 15 (Jayden Pearce, Siua Maile tries; Cullen Moody conv, pen). HT: 23-3. Referee: Carl Johnson. 

The cavalry arrived in the nick of time. Cullen Grace and Fletcher Newell from New Zealand under-20 duty and recuperation. Harrison Courtney and Callum Burrell back in the saddle after injury. You could almost smell the intensity in the air as the Rams went about their task with a grim determination. 

Courtney was primed and pumped. So too was the powerfully built Newell. The lad from Rangiora scored an imposing willie-away try off a Josh Bokser lineout take after 29min. Bokser had scored the first try at the 5min mark by charging down a clearing kick, something he did against Marist Albion earlier in the season. LU had plenty of penalties in the first half and Sam Gilbert made Shirley pay three times. 

But hey we’re talking about the first half here. After the break it was more like Custer’s Last Stand. The Rams were fighting for their lives. Shirley spent long minutes pounding away at the LU line in a series of surges that had the Rams reeling. The visitors had two tries out of it but probably deserved more. Then again, LU’s last-ditch defenders got through an enormous amount of work. 

Players from both sides were out on their feet towards the end. Surely there have never been so many cramp attacks in a rugby game. Impressive Shirley No.8 Siua Maile had a great chance late in the game with an almost open field looming in front of him. He pulled up lame with just one exhausted defender to beat and LU’s cover struggling under the strain. 

Best to remember that first half when the Rams had the game by the scruff of the neck. John Borland enjoyed playing at No.8 again and formed a fine lineout triumvirate with Bokser and Grace. Gilbert looked likely to rip the Shirley defence apart at times without quite doing so, and Jesse Houston was slippery on one wing. On the other side of the park Brian Matoramusha also threatened to cut loose. 

Burrell played a staunch 80min, almost coming off for blood at one stage as Lachie Jones warmed up on the sideline. Burrell stayed on. Captain Nic Souchon may be back this Saturday, giving the Rams a healthy depth in front-rowers after the travails of late. Troy Hallett was in the unusual position of coming off the bench on Saturday to replace Newell for the last quarter. 

Shirley gave the Rams a bit of a scare in the second half of their match earlier in the season. They did so even more this time. Their scrum was strong and their lineout play efficient. They also threatened through the backs at times, with heady first-five Cullen Moody steering them, through tactical kicking and cut-out passing. Substitute halfback Loselio Falefou gave Shirley extra spark when he came on in the second half. 

In the second-division curtain-raiser if the Wethers had played throughout the way they did near the end it might have been a different story. They went down 5-39 to a strong, slick Shirley side but showed character to come back in the dying stages. 

Fullback Tristan Holmwood showed pace and strength to score from 35m out and his side had other scoring chances near the death. Locks Tom McKay and Hunter van der Fits gave it their all with the latter spending some time on the wing as the Wethers struggled to regroup after the disruption of holidays. Centre Jack Symes also had a strong game.