With a finals placing in the bag, this week’s game decided the line-up for the semifinal.
The pitch was cold and windswept when Stratford Thunder Div 1 headed to play away at Hãwera on Saturday.
A strong wind blowing up the length of the pitch gave both teams kicking advantage in their respective halves, and on the day, Southern turned this to their advantage more than Thunder were able to.
The first half was low-scoring, with Southern taking an early penalty for three points and, soon after, another five from an unconverted try. This didn’t diminish Thunder’s resolve, and they took seven points in reply before the half-time whistle.
Once again, Southern took three points with the wind at their backs early in the second half, only for Thunder to reply with a converted try.