Rugby: Upsets add spice to red-hot round

Old Boys Marist and Taniwha player Dan Pryor evades the tackle of Kamo's Roy Griffin during Old Boys Marist's comprehensive 37-17 win. Photo/Ron Burgin

Old Boys Marist, Otamatea and Hikurangi all claimed upset victories in their matches, spicing up the Bayleys Southern Districts Premier Competition as a result.

Old Boys Marist surprisingly played Kamo off the park as they easily won 37-17 in scorching conditions in Kamo.

For the visitors, Saturday's match was essentially a must-win as Old Boys Marist sat second to last on the table.

Now, the recently-merged club sits third from the bottom with two wins and a draw to have a total of 12 points - eight points off fourth.

Meanwhile Otamatea upset the defending champions 41-39 in Kaiwaka, handing Mid Northern their fourth loss of the season.

However, while it can be seen as an upset Otamatea have had a great start to the season as they now have five wins and sit third on 25 points - five off top spot, which is held by Hora Hora.

In Hikurangi, Waipu let a win slip by as they had the chance to secure a strong start to the season but lost 25-23.

Had Waipu won, they would be sitting inside the top four by one point.

In other results, Hora Hora comfortably saw off the Western Sharks challenge to win 51-21 and Wellsford came out on top in a tight match with Mid Western, winning 29-27.

Results:

Southern Districts Premier

Hikurangi 25 Waipu 23

Old Boys-Marist 37 Kamo 17

Otamatea 41 Mid Northern 39

Wellsford 29 Mid Western 27

Hora Hora 51 Western Sharks 21

Southern Districts Premier Reserve

Hikurangi 59 Waipu 0

Old Boys Marist 44 Kamo 14

Mid Northern 27 Otamatea 0

Wellsford 21 Mid Western 15

Western Sharks 53 Hora Hora 17