Eastern-Northern Barbarians hooker Liam Ferguson has twice scored four tries in a game in the opening three rounds of Southland’s premier club rugby competition. Photo: DEBBIE FAHEY
Liam Ferguson has done it again.
A fortnight ago, the Eastern-Northern Barbarians hooker created headlines when he scored four tries in the opening round of Southland’s premier club rugby competition.
On Thursday night, he replicated that usually rare accomplishment when he latched onto another four try haul in a 48-27 win over Woodlands at Woodlands.
At eight tries, Ferguson finds himself well clear of Marist outside back Tiam Toufan, who sits second on the list of leading try scorers after the first three rounds.
While Ferguson’s remarkable try-scoring feat has again sparked a talking point, the real matter at play following Thursday night is the fact that the Barbarians are now three from three to start their 2026 campaign.
The Gore-based outfit is now the only unbeaten in the competition.
Barbarians coach AJ Aitken is obviously delighted with where his team is at, although he acknowledged the 48-27 scoreline did not reflect how tight the contest was against Woodlands.
It took the Barbarians until very late in the game to shake the spirited Woodlands side.
“Woodlands were right in it until about 10 or 12 to go; they were attacking hard,” Aitken said.
Looseforward Sloane Lankshear again provided Woodlands with a real threat at the breakdown, while Liam Howley, at first five-eighth, directed the team around well.
For the Barbarians, lock Harrison Morton was their best, producing an impressive display.
Ferguson was also good, while first five-eighth Taylor Peterson has been a key figure through the first three games for the Barbarians.
Greg Dyer’s value at the club level continues to be evident.
The 31-year-old first five-eighth has played 36 games for the Stags, a further eight at Heartland Championship level for North Otago, and last year brought up game No 100 for Pirates-Old Boys.
It has probably been in that Pirates-Old Boys jersey in Southland club rugby where Dyer has had the biggest impact and looked the most at home over the years.
Like clockwork, that’s what was on display at Miller St in Invercargill on Thursday night.
In a somewhat embarrassment of riches, Pirates-Old Boys still have potentially the second best No 10 in Southland club rugby, Kaea Nikora-Balloch, to return this season as well.
Dyer kicked seven from eight conversions – many of them from out wide – as Pirates-Old Boys ran up a big 54-20 victory over Marist on Thursday.
While his 19-point haul – seven conversions and a try – was obviously important, Dyer’s general play remained the key cog for Pirates-Old-Boys in the win over Marist.
Dyer had a key hand in Pirates-Old Boys’ dominant start, with his fingerprints all over two tries in the first eight minutes of the game.
The second of them, he peeled off a 50-22 kick to put Pirates-Old Boys hot on attack, before soon after delivering a nice cut-out pass that put wing John Vesikuru in to score.
At 14-0 down after just 10 minutes, Marist had some real problems on its hands.
To the green-and-blacks’ credit, they bounced back with a couple of unconverted tries to No 8 James Moodie and centre Tiam Toufan to make it 14-10, but that only stemmed the Pirates-Old Boys onslaught for a bit.
Pirates-Old Boys scored two further first-half tries, with hooker Shaun Kempton a key figure in both.
Kempton first scored from a lineout drive, before producing a special play when he found himself in the clear, chipped and chased, regathered, and then delivered a nice offload that led to halfback Ngawaka Ririnui scoring.
That made it 26-10 at halftime, and when Ririnui scored again soon after halftime to make it 33-10, Pirates-Old Boys had kicked well clear.
Pirates-Old Boys scored a further three second-half tries to push the final score out to 54-20.
Marist picked up two second-half tries itself, which meant the home team at least finished with a four-try bonus point. That could well prove important later in the season when the semifinal spots are sorted.
Toufan, who started the game at centre and moved to fullback, was again Marist’s most dangerous attacking threat after his three-try haul against Blues the week before.
Pirates-Old Boys first five-eighth Greg Dyer continues to be one of the best in Southland’s premier club rugby competition. Photo: DEBBIE FAHEY
If we’re blatantly honest, this wasn’t the sort of performance from both teams that will send any fear floating through the other four teams in the competition.
But let’s park that and take a half glass full look at this game.
A combined 79 points, including 13 tries, were scored by Star and Blues under lights at Waverley Park on Friday night.
For Star, the 45-34 victory provided it with its first win in 2026, and they made it a maximum with the four-try bonus point.
For Blues, for the second week in a row, they banked a four-try bonus point, which suggests they’ve got some points in them when they are switched on.
Blues also finished the best of the two teams, scoring the final three tries of the game.
However, the damage had largely been done by Star in the first half, starting inside the first two minutes of the game when wing Fale Iosefa crossed for a well-worked try.
Star scored a further four first-half tries, two of them to centre Hughan Sharp, and when veteran lock Josh Bekhuis crossed on the stroke of halftime, the home team had pushed out to a 31-12 lead.
Blues lock TJ Gallen scored early in the second half to bring it back to 31-17, but when Star then scored two tries in relatively quick succession – one to Lachlan Springford and the other to Keflar Morrison – the score blew out to 45-17.
Both teams then rang the changes and cleared the benches, and it was Blues who had Star back-peddling in the final 20 minutes of the game.
For Star, first five-eighth Sam Mustchin again was one of his team’s best, whether it be with his goal-kicking boot or simply pointing his team around the field.
Second five-eighth Micaiah Johnston-Brown carried the ball strongly, while the Star scrum was dominant.
For Blues, another first five-eighth, Connor Bolton, impressed, while lock TJ Gallen toiled away throughout the game.
First five-eighth Sam Mustchin was again one of Star’s best in the 45-34 win over Blues on Friday night.
Riverton 22, Waikaka/Riversdale 21
Pioneer 37, Albion 12
Wyndham 48, Tokanui 0
Edendale 29, Waikiwi 22
Mossburn 18, Wakatipu 14
Midlands 57, Te Anau 5
Drummond-Limehills-Star 29, Bluff 19
Central Pirates 64, Wright’s Bush 7
Marist 22, Pirates-Old Boys 19
Star 41, Blues 28
Woodlands 36, Collegiate 33
Marist 49, Blues 10
Wakatipu beat Star by default
Pioneer – bye