Stratford Eltham rugby teams host Coastal at home field

The Streltham teams played determinedly in their weekend matches. Photo/ Jon Palmer

The Stratford Eltham first division, Colts, and premier teams played against Coastal on their home ground.

The first half of the division one game saw a typical hard-fought confrontation with the Southern team.

The second half saw the Streltham team stage a marked fight back to be within one score to equalise but Coastal secured the victory with a late penalty, taking any chance of a draw away. Final score 20-30 to Coastal.

The colts were out to make amends for the two-point loss in last year's final. With the rain clearing at kick off it set the scene for a fast open game which it became, as to be expected both teams added points to match. The match was 16 all in the second half, followed by 21 all with 15 minutes to play.

Stratford Eltham then used their dominant lineout to execute a perfect lineout drive to score out wide to take the lead 28-21 with six minutes to play.

Man of the match Shannon Haenga, helped out by Campbell Moore and Josh Howatson. Final score 30-21.

The premier team had a hard-fought battle. Neither team could break through and create any overall dominance during the game, giving the fans a nail-biting experience from start to finish.

The final score of 8-13 to coastal was not the result the home fans hoped for, but the performance of the squad says this season is not over yet by a long way.