VRU Dewar Shield 2015

[KevinO]

Power House First XV Round 1 vs. Endeavour Hills at Frog Hollows Reserve Endeavour Hills.
1 Michael Tyler
2 Nathan May
3 Damien Paranihi
4 Damian Chabaas
5 Tom Cretney
6 Shane Kilgour
7 Blaise Tuisila
8 Travis Muir
9 Mark Bouma
10 Sean Cressy (c)
11 Luke Schmidt
12 Adam Millgate
13 Ray Paila
14 Tom Kingston
15 Jordan Schmidt
16 Jay Lesa
17 Damian Hall
18 Michael Lanigan
19 EJ (Eddie Jones) Tyrell
20 James Ben-Unu
21 Ephraim Lesa
22 Lincoln Gunning
23 Chris Ford

 

[elementfreak]

FOOTSCRAY v MELBOURNE
Henry Turner South Res Cnr Farnsworth Ave & Myers Rd Footscray
FOOTSCRAY
1 Alan Imo, 2 Siosua Ngauano, 3 Soan Naufahu, 4 Frank Ami, 5 Caydern Neville, 6 Sa Tuiavii, 7 Tim Diack, 8 Danny Hartwell, 9 Casey Amanmoto, 10 Harry Keys, 11 Latu Sisele, 12 Martin Naufahu, 13 Jonah lolefio, 14 Matt Komiti, 15 Stan Ili
MELBOURNE
1 Uiese Manu, 2 Tim Orchard, 3 Killian O'Neill, 4 Frederick Austin, 5 Shaun Mortensen, 6 Meli Koliavu, 7 Jordan Reid, 8 Tim Emery (C), 9 Karl Balemi, 10 Paul McConnochie, 11 Blair Owen, 12 Iokimo (Lucky) Mulipola, 13 Solomona Schwalger, 14 Tuafale (Vai) Meni, 15 Telusa Veainu
Referee: David Wall
MOORABBIN v BOX HILL
Keys Rd Reserve Keys Rd Cheltenham North
MOORABBIN
TBC
BOX HILL
1 Jesse Tonu, 2 Darren Brown, 3 Sean Horan, 4 Gab Navuni, 5 Moses Haukinima, 6 Joe Cousens, 7 Radike Samo, 8 Sema Hafoka, 9 Ben Meehan, 10 Mike Thompson, 11 Rusiate Loganimasi, 12 Taione Ravuidama, 13 Alberto Aoese, 14 Savenaca Waqalutu, 15 Alex Healey
Referee: Andrew Schwilk
HARLEQUIN v MELBOURNE UNI
Holmesglen Res Power Ave Ashwood
HARLEQUIN
1 Jed Gillespie, 2 Jarred Eberhart, 3 Tim Ridgeway, 4 Paul Graham, 5 Angus Hamilton ©, 6 Murray Douglas, 7 Joe O’Donnell, 8 Semei Koilo, 9 Shevell Samia, 10 Lloyd Johansson, 11 Landre Te Kahu, 12 Majokah Schuster, 13 Leo Taliu, 14 Taylor Acheson, 15 Justin Marsters
MELBOURNE UNI
1 Turi Uini, 2 John Aho, 3 Matthew Onesemo, 4 Sam Richards ©, 5 Sam Jeffries, 6 Hughie Forbes, 7 Sam Bindon, 8 Nave Washburn, 9 Hector Thomson, 10 Ioane Sefo, 11 George Stewart, 12 Reupena Ilaoa, 13 Taiso Leaana, 14 Junior Nuu, 15 Stacey Ili
Referee: Oli Kellett
ENDEAVOUR HILLS v POWER HOUSE Frog Hollow Reserve David Collins Dve Endeavour Hills
ENDEAVOUR HILLS
1 Jamie King-Ewe, 2 Eddie Tenesilli, 3 Alesana Matiasi, 4 David Jennings, 5 Sione Vai, 6 Manuele Teo, 7 Taase Taase, 8 Brandon Taua’a , 9 Renan Yakoob, 10 Unga Samuels (Captain ), 11 Steve Pesamino, 12 Melbourne Tiute, 13 Mason Van Duin, 14 Fia Iulio, 15 Stan Lolohea
POWER HOUSE
1 Michael Tyler, 2 Nathan May, 3 Damien Paranihi, 4 Damian Chabaas, 5 Tom Cretney, 6 Shane Kilgour, 7 Blaise Tuisila, 8 Travis Muir, 9 Mark Bouma, 10 Sean Cressy, 11 Luke Schmidt, 12 Adam Millgate, 13 Ray Paila, 14 Tom Kingston, 15 Jordan Schmidt
Referee: Matt Hall

 

[KevinO]

Results from today, last years champs start with a loss. Two draws and Box Hill with a big start.
Moorabbin 13 def. by Box Hill 54
Endeavour Hills 29 drew with Power House 29
Melbourne Uni 27 def. Harlequin 13
Footscray 24 drew with Melbourne 24
Watched the Endeavour Hills v Powerhouse game, House scored a try in the corner with the last play to level the scores, missed the conversion. In Second grand was the last play for the win. Was 3 good tight hard hitting games at Endeavor Hills today.
Tom Kingston only played the first game and came off injured, does not look like his ready for Super Rugby.

 

[elementfreak]

Full review of the round from the Rebels.

The 2015 Direct Connect Dewar Shield kicked off on Saturday with one theme ever-present across all four games; the standard of Club Rugby in Victoria is well and truly on the rise.
On the back of the introduction of allocated Rebels in 2014, both their quality and the improvement of the Club players have coupled to produce high-intensity, highly skilled entertaining Rugby.
Remarkably, none of the four home teams posted victory; we speak to the Coaches to find out more!
Click here to view more photos of the match courtesy of Andrew Stevenson Photography.
Harlequin 13 def. by Melbourne Uni 27
Two-time defending Champions Harlequin didn’t get off to the start that they would have wanted, going down to an exciting looking Melbourne Uni side with plenty of exciting recruits.
Rebels prop Jed Gillespie made his ‘Quins debut while Sam Jeffries returned for his second season in as lock for Uni, but it was a new face that most impressed the Students’ Head Coach, Jason Jones.
“We had so many new faces and they all did well, but I thought our fullback Stacey Ili was lethal,” Jones said. “Let’s not put too much pressure on him, but he has great wheels and fast feet, and he will be one to watch. Also, it was great to see Sammy Bindon back out there again after missing all of last year with a terrible knee injury.”
Jones said it was “no place for the faint hearted, with both teams very physical in the collision zone.
"We are very pleased to start the season with a win against ‘Quins at their home ground; not many teams have done that in the last few years. The most pleasing aspect from a coaching perspective is that our defence held strong despite great pressure from them in the final fifteen minutes.”
Melbourne Uni 27
Tries: Turi Uini, Nave Washburn, Junior Nu’u, Stacey Ili
Conversions: Junior Nu’u (2)
Penalties: Junior Nu’u
Harlequin 13
Tries: Paul Graham, Leo Taliu
Penalties: Lloyd Johansson
Footscray 24 drew with Melbourne 24
Preliminary finalists last year, the Unicorns staged a wonderful comeback to secure a share of the points with Footscray at the Dog Pound. As it was our Dewar Shield Match of the Round, you can read a full match report here.
Footscray Head Coach Justin Carroll described the draw as “one we let slip; with an eighteen point lead, we should have closed the game out, but ill-discipline cost us as we finished the game with thirteen players.”
However, Carroll was able to find some positives in the performance.
“Our scrum was totally dominant and the highlight, although did not take advantage as we might,” he said. “I was pleased with defence and support play. Cadeyrn Neville was excellent for the team, and at time provided calming influence with his experience, while flyhalf Harry Keys was very good, having a great kicking game both for goal and in general play.”
For Unicorns’ Head Coach Anare Koliavu, it was a pleasing recovery.
“The boys did well to show composure, and to show a fighting spirit to come back and draw the game in the last eight minutes,” he said. “Our Captain Tim Emery’s strong leadership showed in taking control and inspiring our forwards and team with his play.
“Our Rebels players showed their class, motivating our boys, with Cam Crawford firing off the bench working well with Telusa to score out wider and pull back a draw.”
Footscray 24
Tries: Danny Hartwell 2, Harry Key
Conversions: Harry Key 3
Penalties: Harry Key
Melbourne 24
Tries: Telusa Veainu 3
Conversions: Mika Faamausili 2, Telusa Veainu 1
Penalties: Paul McConnochie 1
Endeavour Hills 29 drew with Power House 29
The second draw of the opening round saw Endeavour Hills and Power House finish 80 minutes with the scores locked at Frog Hollow Reserve, the scene of a big ‘Hills victory in 2014.
Endeavour Hills Head Coach John Eden was proud of his boys, and impressed by Power House.
“The boys played very well, and there was great discipline from both sides,” he said. “We attacked their scrums and lineouts and did very well in this department, and when we turned over their ball, we were productive and managed a lot of go forward. Hooker and Vice Captain Eddie Tinneselli was outstanding in scoring two tries and going close twice more, and led the forwards well.
“However, when we have just scored we need to switch on; we gave away points immediately after doing the hard work.”
Power House Head Coach Glenn Fowles said that his side “used the ball in attack well, and put some long sets of phase play together. We showed some good defensive resolve in the second half, but we need to improve our lineouts and need to react to circumstances quicker.
Fowles was particularly impressed with the efforts of three guys that had their first game for ‘House.
“Mike Tyler at prop; he had a great all-round game and was punishing on defence,” Fowles said. “Centre Ray Paila was strong in defence and showed some work with good ball in hand, while Luke Schmidt scored a try on his Dewar Shield debut and was keen looking for work in both attack and defence.
“Rebels outside back Tom Kingston gave us a busy first 40 minutes after a long lay-off because of patella tendonitis,” Fowles continued. “His opportunities were limited but he made good metres when the chances came. Tom will benefit from that outing, and from playing more Rugby over the next few weeks.”
Endeavour Hills 29
Tries: Eddie Tinneselli 2, Alesana Matiasi, David Jennings, Junior Paila
Conversions: Fia Fulio, Unga Samuels
Power House 29
Point scorers not provided
Moorabbin 13 def. by Box Hill 54
Last year’s Dewar Shield runners up Box Hill showed that they will again be a force to be reckoned with in 2015, as they posted a half century of points when visiting the Rams.
With Wallaby Radike Samo making his first Dewar Shield appearance and Rebels scrumhalf Ben Meehan picking up where he left off in 2014, Broncos’ Head Coach Andrew Slyfield was pleased to snare the victory however stressed his side wouldn’t be getting carried away ahead of a Grand Final Replay against ‘Quins at Maroondah this weekend.
“It was a tough game and just what we needed,” Slyfield said. “We were happy to come away with the five points, as Moorabbin are a good side. Our players weren't completely happy with their game, as we were our own worst enemy at times. We have plenty to work on and we will need to step it up another level.
“However, it was pleasing to see some combinations coming together. Sema Hafoka has been really working on his game and was very strong with ball in hand, while Sean Horan was a menace around the rucks.
“Radike and Ben were fantastic and really suit our team. It is incredible to think that you can come and watch player of this class for free, I have never been anywhere in the world where you can do that.”
For Moorabbin Head Coach Ben Perenise, it wasn’t the start he wanted, but he did find some positives after seeing a number of players including Tim Metcher make their first appearance for the Club.
“Our set pieces went well, and I was really proud of the forwards and how they competed against a big Box Hill pack in the scrums,” he said. “Our lineouts worked well also.
“We need to make the most of our opportunities with ball in hand, especially against a team like Box Hill who will punish you with turnover ball. We had opportunities but couldn’t turn them into points.
“We started with seven colts players who held their own; they all played well and pushed above their weight and years. We still have a few players out with injuries and they will have to earn their starting spots again.
“Tim Metcher played very well, and had a lot to do with why our scrums went so well. With two colts boys in the front row with him he guided them well, and his presence and leadership did not go unnoticed.”
Moorabbin 13
Tries: Paul Tua
Conversions: Ronald Hinaki
Penalties: Ronald Hinaki 2
Box Hill 54
Tries: Radike Samo 2, Ben Meehan, Michael Thompson, Rusiate Loganimari, Alberto Aoese, Maciu Rokowaqa, Steven Palu
Conversions: Michael Thompson 7
This week sees Box Hill and Harlequin clash at Maroondah in our Match of the Round, while Southern Districts’ campaign begins with a trip to Endeavour Hills. Power House host Melbourne Uni, while Footscray welcome Moorabbin and Melbourne Unicorns have the bye.
Stay tuned to melbournerebels.com.au for the full Direct Connect Dewar Shield Round Two Preview later this week.

 

[oztimmay]

Box Hill beat Quins today in the match of the round. Little bit of vengeance from last year and best of all we get Bill's Wallaby Blazer back at Sparks reserve. Brought back memories hearing about the game being held at Maroondah (Croydon).


Other results

 

[KevinO]

Seems Melbourne uni has followed in Box Hills foot steps and recruited a lot of Fijians for 2015. Completely different side than last year and destroyed Pwer House today.

Tom Kingston did not play, big Red played about 50 minutes for the students.

 

[elementfreak]

Box Hill beat Quins today in the match of the round. Little bit of vengeance from last year and best of all we get Bill's Wallaby Blazer back at Sparks reserve. Brought back memories hearing about the game being held at Maroondah (Croydon).


Other results

Box Hill had the blazer anyway as they won the 1st game between the sides last year. Quins won't like not having it for a 2nd year in a row.

 

[oztimmay]

Box Hill had the blazer anyway as they won the 1st game between the sides last year. Quins won't like not having it for a 2nd year in a row.

Cool. Here I was thinking all this time they put it up for every match. Makes sense I guess. Being of the many that was coached by Bill it's nice to see it back at it's 'home'.

 

[elementfreak]

Cool. Here I was thinking all this time they put it up for every match. Makes sense I guess. Being of the many that was coached by Bill it's nice to see it back at it's 'home'.

Nope, it's only the 1st game of the season between the two sides.

I think in the past they used to try and get the junior grades playing on the same day as well, and tried to make a full day of Quins v Box Hill however with the junior season starting a lot later over the last few years it hasn't work out that way.

 

[oztimmay]

Regardless, Box Hill would always seem to grow a third leg when playing against Quins and Melbourne (well at least I did). Plenty of heated battles, little bit of claret and a lot of good Rugby. Hope that rivalry is still there, but everyone may have moved on a little.

 

[KevinO]

Hope that rivalry is still there, but everyone may have moved on a little.

Think you lose the rivalry when you are importing all your talent and it's not bread into them from Juniors.

 

[oztimmay]

Import? Most of the Powerhouse lists ARE imports! Well at least when I was plying most of the team were made up of travelers/backpackers and would only stick around for a short period.

 

[KevinO]

Import? Most of the Powerhouse lists ARE imports! Well at least when I was plying most of the team were made up of travelers/backpackers and would only stick around for a short period.

Yeah, and that's why there is no real rivalry's at Powerhouse. The more imports the less beating Quins/Unicorns means to the players.

 

[pablo]

There is a difference, I don't think you can say that Power House are importing players, they rely on the wave of backpackers and travellers that come through. There are well resourced clubs out there that seek out players to play at their club, whether it is from overseas, interstate or from across Melbourne.

Box Hill have done very well out of their Island Breeze program and their partnership rewards community and club alike, and should be rewarded for the model they have had success with!

 

[elementfreak]

Round 3 results.

Melbourne Uni 58 d Moorabbin 20
Footscray 24 d Power House 10
Box Hill 32 d Melbourne Unicorns 31
Harlequin 50 d Southern Districts 27

By my reckoning the table should be
1. Uni
2. Box Hill
3. Footscray
4. Souths
5. Endeavour
6. Melbourne
7. Quins
8. House
9. Moorabbin

 

[swingpass]

i went to the Uni - Moorabbin game, only Placid (Uni) and Metcher (Moor) from the Rebels playing, although Uni had a few from Rebs U20's i think. In effect the individual skills of Uni overcame the Moorabin players. Lots of shelter skelter from both teams but Uni were able to better capitalise on the turnover ball. Placid showed his class at this level, the best battle was between Metcher (THP) and Sa'aga (LHP), the young tyro is going to be some player in a couple of years, can scrum, can carry and has deft handling. Uni will need to be more structured against the better teams, Melbourne and Box Hill. the young winger Junior Nu'u also impressed for the Uni. Moorabbin set piece was competent, scrapped hard and won some good ball at the breakdown but were just outclassed one on one by the Uni backline. they are missing the influence of Jo Kamana from last year who is apparently off to Japan

 

[elementfreak]

i went to the Uni - Moorabbin game, only Placid (Uni) and Metcher (Moor) from the Rebels playing, although Uni had a few from Rebs U20's i think. In effect the individual skills of Uni overcame the Moorabin players. Lots of shelter skelter from both teams but Uni were able to better capitalise on the turnover ball. Placid showed his class at this level, the best battle was between Metcher (THP) and Sa'aga (LHP), the young tyro is going to be some player in a couple of years, can scrum, can carry and has deft handling. Uni will need to be more structured against the better teams, Melbourne and Box Hill. the young winger Junior Nu'u also impressed for the Uni. Moorabbin set piece was competent, scrapped hard and won some good ball at the breakdown but were just outclassed one on one by the Uni backline. they are missing the influence of Jo Kamana from last year who is apparently off to Japan

The Moorabbin scrum was a lot better in the 2nd half when Tui came on, he seemed to sure up things for Moorabbin and they actually pushed Uni backwards a few times.

As for the backline Uni's 13 just seemed to find space everywhere he looked and the back 3 ran off him really well.

The two starting halfbacks impressed me, both were pretty small, young guys but played above their weight and mixed it well with the big guys.

 

[elementfreak]

The Direct Connect Dewar Shield throws up some cracking matches in Round Four on Saturday, with Melbourne Uni and Box Hill looking to retain their perfect status in two home matches.
Last weekend, late withdrawals meant fifteen allocated Rebels players were in action, still smashing the previous record of twelve, and this week an even dozen will run out. The Dewar Shield Match of the Round, to be live-tweeted via@MelbourneRebels, is Melbourne Uni hosting the Unicorns.
Photo courtesy Andrew Stevenson Photography; follow him on Facebook here.
Moorabbin vs Southern Districts
It’s not going to plan for Moorabbin at the moment, but they will take some heart from dominating the latter stages of their defeat to Melbourne Uni last week as they host Southern Districts in their third home match of the campaign, as the Club celebrates its 50th anniversary.
However, the Pirates will be able to call upon Rebels front rowers Ben Whittaker and Keita Inagaki, and their Coach Ross Sanders believes his team is ready to hit back after suffering defeat to Harlequin in Round Three.
“We are very aware that Moorabbin will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this weekend and no doubt the excitement of the occasion will be a motivating factor for them,” the former Moorabbin Captain and Premiership player said.
“We are extremely excited about playing consecutive weekends for the first time this season. Our players were pretty disappointed coming off the field last Saturday and we've worked hard this week on controlling possession for longer periods of time. We want to be able to manufacture tries as a team, rather than rely solely on individual talent.”
Box Hill vs Endeavour Hills
The Box Hill Broncos had their sternest test of the campaign last week when they travelled to the Unicorns, needing a late try to get their third straight win, and against an Endeavour Hills team determined to get off the mark for 2015 they’ll once again need to be at their best to remain undefeated.
Their Head Coach Andrew Slyfield believes it is important that they stick to their own game plan on Saturday.
“We expect to see Endeavour Hill attacking everywhere and playing with plenty of ‘razzle dazzle’,” Slyfield said. “They are a strong team and we are expecting a hard day at the office on Saturday.
“Hopefully we won't get sucked in to trying to play the same style as them and we stick to our own structures and systems.”
For Endeavour Hills Head Coach John Eden, after his side had the Round Three bye, it’s exciting to be back on the field having not played since their Round Two defeat against Southern Districts at the end of March.
“It is a huge week for us against Box Hill,” Eden said. “I expect Box Hill to try to open up against us, and probably try to dominate our forwards and let their backs loose. They have had an outstanding start to the season and they will probably think that they can boost their percentage points against us.
“Our main focus this week is our defence and not turning over silly ball, and we will once again trust our work rate at the set plays. Our key words? Work rate and effort!”
Harlequin vs Power House
Rebels outside back Tom Kingston will line up for a Power House side who are fully aware that Harlequin are back! The two-time defending champions, who will call upon Rebels Steve Cummins and Jed Gillespie, suffered defeat in their opening two matches of the campaign but hit back in a big way by posting a half century of points on their way to victory against Southern Districts in Seaford last weekend.
Power House Head Coach Glenn Fowles is under no illusions as to the difficulty of the task at hand, however can draw on the experiences of a two-point loss and then two-point win against ‘Quins in 2014.
“They are a quality outfit and Premiers two years running,” Fowles said. They got their first win last week against Southern Districts away, which is no mean feat, and their early losses were also against very good opposition. I am expecting a very tough match; they are also always tough to beat at home.
“We will focus on fixing the one-percenters. We have played well at times in all three games so far but have yet to get a win, and the reason has been failure to get some of the little things right. Every team in this competition is going to be tough for us so we need to get these incremental parts right to get the W.”
For Harlequin Head Coach Cliff Villiamu, it’s a case of trying to replicate more of the same from last week.
“We’re expecting a very physical game up front and a real contest overall,” he said. “Our focus is on the breakdown and doing the little things right; with the win over Southern Districts last week, little will change against Power House, except for some more clarity on our shape and structures.”
Melbourne Uni vs Melbourne
The Direct Connect Dewar Shield Match of the Round promises to be a cracker, as top of the table Melbourne Uni host Melbourne Unicorns, yet to register a win but having come so close in a one-point loss and a draw thus far.
Melbourne Uni will call upon Wallaby Dom Shipperley, a late withdrawal last week, for his Dewar Shield debut alongside Jonah Placid and Sam Jeffries, while Cam Crawford and Telusa Veainu will front up for the Unicorns.
“The Unicorns game is a massive game for the Club as it will be our first home game for the year, and we are coming into it undefeated after three rounds,” Melbourne Uni Head Coach Jason Jones said. “Last year they smacked our bum when we played them for 70 minutes with only fourteen men; that loss really hurt, and then they snuck over us in the other game to take away our finals chances. They play a very set pieced based game and have some speed out wide, so it should be a great game to watch.
“This week we have focused on our set piece and restarts, and being more consistent over the 80 minutes. It's great for the Club that this week we have three Rebels playing; Jonah's contribution last week was absolute class, and I am sure with Sammy and Dom joining us that we will continue to improve on last week's performance.”
Unicorns Head Coach Anare Koliavu is “expecting a tough encounter from a new team we don’t know much about. There is a reason they are currently the top of the Dewar Shield ladder but we can hopefully change that this weekend.
“Our focus is always to improve on areas we identify that need work, and more importantly the belief the boys have in the team, and themselves; it’s about finding your form early in the competition and then improving every week.”
Click here to view the 2015 Direct Connect Dewar Shield table.
The Match of the Round this week is the clash between Melbourne Uni and Melbourne Unicorns; stay tuned to melbournerebels.com.au for the full Round Four review.

 

[elementfreak]

Round Five of the 2015 Direct Connect Dewar Shield season will likely see the number of undefeated sides whittled down from three, to at least two.
That’s because high-flying Melbourne Uni must travel to Footscray to face a Doggies side who have quietly amassed two wins and a draw, before being granted two weeks to prepare for this game as a result of the Round Four bye.
Photo courtesy Andrew Stevenson Photography; follow him on Facebook here.
In the Dewar Shield Match of the Round, Power House and Melbourne will be battling for their first win of the season; they are two teams who were considered strong finals chances before we kicked off, however each have been victims of a tough bye and an inability to hold out in defence, with each leaking an average of over 30 points per game.
This match will be live-tweeted via @MelbourneRebels..
Southern Districts vs Box Hill
The Broncos are absolutely flying and have four wins from four matches, but they must travel to Seaford to face a Southern Districts side who matched them well in 2014. The Pirates won the corresponding fixture quite comfortably 8n Round Eleven, and pushed them all the way at Sparks Reserve early in the year.
Ben Meehan and Radike Samo return for Box Hill, while Southern Districts can call upon Rebels front rowers Keita Inagaki and Ben Whittaker.
“We're looking forward to a fast open game of running Rugby on a dry track,” Southern Districts Head Coach Ross Sanders said. “Our biggest focus will be on reaction time when transitioning from attack to defence; we will require all fifteen players working hard in this area as we are aware of how well Box Hill can move the ball.”
Box Hill Head Coach Andrew Slyfield said he was “not exactly sure what to expect from Souths on Saturday.
“What I do know is they have a lot of new players this season and they had a very strong off-season. The other thing is they are always tough down there, and they showed that last season when they gave us a bit of a hiding.
Our focus has been on us this week: we are just worrying about what we can control, as we know if we get things right we will be very hard to beat.”
Endeavour Hills v Harlequin
Harlequin have won two in a row, and the two-time defending champions are beginning to look ominous again in 2015. However, travelling to Endeavour Hills is never an easy task; just ask Power House, who were held to a draw by ‘Hills in Round One.
Endeavour Hills Head Coach John Eden said “I expect Harlequin to use their big mobile forwards at the sets plays. I think that they will try and disrupt our set plays, which have probably been our strength area in an average start to the season.
“I will be playing Rennie Lautolo-Molimau at his favoured position of fullback; he is doing an outstanding job as our backs coach, and he will want to put his knowledge out on the paddock for the boys.”
‘Quins Head Coach Cliff Viliamu is aware of the threat Rennie provides, however he is hoping one of his side’s 2014 Melbourne Rising players can positively impact the contest.
“I’m expecting Endeavour Hills will play out wide,” he said. “They have a number of young and exciting players, such as Andy Brown and Rennie, throughout their back line.
“Our openside flanker Sione Taufa has returned from Sri Lanka, and will make his first start of the year for ‘Quins this weekend. Sione's work rate, and his ability to gain metres through the collision zone, will play a big part in this week's game; look out for the ‘Smiling Assassin’ this weekend!”
Jed Gillespie and Steve Cummins will line up for Harlequin.
Melbourne v Power House
In the Round 5 Dewar Shield Match of the Round, three Rebels outside backs will be in action as Melbourne host Power House, with Telusa Veainu and Cam Crawford playing for the Unicorns and Tom Kingston for ‘House; that represents over 60 Super Rugby caps on the pitch.
The Unicorns won both of these clashes in 2014, but Head Coach Anare Koliavu isn’t taking them lightly.
“We’re expecting a team that will be mobile, and like us will be keen to get a win, so they will come out swinging,” he said. “After last week’s performance all the boys will be keen to have a big game and I know they’re looking forward to it.”
Power House Head Coach Glenn Fowles is conscious of the threat provided by not only his opponents, but also their vocal support at home.
“Both teams are looking for their first win of the season, and both teams are better than recent results suggest, so I expect a committed effort from the Unicorns pack and a typically hostile home crowd at Romanis Reserve,” Fowles said. “I’m looking for a big input from our back three, who will be up against the two Unicorns’ Rebels, and expect a tough struggle up-front as well.”
Footscray v Melbourne Uni
Last year saw two really tight matches between these sides, with neither team scoring more than 20 points in either game, however Footscray will be well aware that Melbourne Uni boast some fresh try-scoring threats after a wonderful opening four games from the Students.
There will be no allocated Rebels in action, as Footscray look to take advantage of an extra week to prepare for this one.
“This week is a real test for us,” Footscray Head Coach Justin Carroll said. “Melbourne Uni have proven to be the benchmark team so far this season, and it will be good to see how we measure up.
“From all reports, we are obviously wary of the strike they possess out wide, and we have trained accordingly this week.
“Despite the fact we are significantly affected by injuries in the forwards this week I expect the pack to do a great job matching Melbourne Unis forwards, and the whole squad are looking forward to the contest.”
Uni Head Coach Jason Jones is expecting Foostcray to “come out 100 miles an hour, and really try to blitz the breakdown and set piece to exert dominance.
“In some ways I expect this week’s game to be much the same as the match against the Unicorns last week,” Jones continued. “It’s about absorbing that initial onslaught and maintaining our composure.
“Our tight five will play a big part in securing our set piece ball, whilst our back row must work as a unit to be dominant as the first/second arrivals. Keep an eye out for hooker Carly Aho; he has worked himself to a standstill so far, and is deceptively mobile for big unit.”

 

[Baldric]

Round Five Direct Connect #DewarShield results.
Box Hill were pushed all the way in Seaford by the Pirates, but retain their 100% record alongside the impressive Melbourne Uni. Harlequin welcomed Sione Taufa back to the starting lineup, as the 2014 Melbourne Rising flanker scored four tries against Endeavour Hills.
In the Direct Connect Dewar Shield Match of the Day, Melbourne Unicorns secured their first win of 2015; Rebels flier Telusa Veainu selected by the referee as the Musashi Nutrition Player of the Day.
Direct Connect Dewar Shield Round 5 Results:
Southern Districts 7 def. by Box Hil 15
Endeavour Hills 19 def. by Harlequin 49
Melbourne 25 def. Power House 7
Footsrcay 7 def. by Melbourne Uni 44