A force to be reckoned with

WILL HINE/147837

LAWFUL TACKLE: Constable Phil Brown, of Southland Police takes on the Otago Police defence in a rugby game in Queenstown yesterday.

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The boys in blue played the boys in blue in a rugby game in Queenstown yesterday, with the boys in maroon proving the better side on the day.

Southland Police took down Otago Police 14-5 to defend their title as the premier southern police district rugby team.

The southern team started strongly, with halfback Jon Bissett making like a Castle St rioter to break the Otago Police line and dot down.

First-five Damon Templeton was unable to convert the try but knocked over two penalty goals to take the team to an 11-nil halftime lead. The second half was a scrappy affair, with Southland repeatedly getting penalised for offences around the ruck.

A weak Otago backline could not penetrate the Southland line until the last five minutes, when wing Jono Airey capitalised on a loose ball in the in-goal and touched down. It was a deserved victory for Southland, who had dominated the lineouts and scrums throughout the game. Southland coach Detective Sergeant Ian McCambridge said he had been playing for or coaching the Southland side for 32 years. "The games are never pretty but we've probably always been the dominant team.

"But it's getting harder each year as everyone is getting older."

Mr McCambridge said the yearly fixture allowed staff from the two southern police district regions to get to know each other better.

"We kick the s**t out of each other for 80 minutes and then get together and enjoy ourselves."

The Southland police netballers were also too strong for their northern counterparts yesterday, winning 35-18.

The police use an annual- leave day to take part in the games.

will.hine@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News

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