CSU travelled to take on the Forbes Platypi in Blowes Clothing Cup action on Saturday with the hope of giving their second-placed opponents a few headaches.
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However, the only side feeling the pain at the end of the match were the visitors who were on the wrong end of a 50-0 result.
With the resumption of the new university semester CSU had a numbers boost for the game but it wasn’t enough to overcome a dominant Platypi forward pack.
An on-field brawl with 15 minutes to go cast a cloud over the match. Three yellow cards were shown following the incident - two of them to CSU captain Cam Backhouse and Tom Greenaway, with the other to a Forbes opponent.
Another Platypi player was given a 10 minute spell on the sidelines for a separate incident.
When the dust had settled the Platypi emerged with their 11th win from 13 games this season.
CSU club captain Jarrod Hyde said Forbes’ strength was too much for the students to cope with.
“They’re quite a physical side. We thought on the way in that we could go quite well but after the weekend we think Forbes can take it to the top teams,” he said.
“They pushed us hard in the forwards. They surprised us a bit compared to the last time we played them. They just pushed through with constant attack and kept going and going.”
Platypi had their first points within the opening minutes of the game thanks to a try, setting the tone for what was to come.
Following a dominant half of football from the hosts they had themselves up 31-0 at half-time and already with a bonus point to their name.
CSU managed to keep Forbes off the board for the opening 20 minutes of the second half but when the hosts found a way through it paved the way for several more late tries.
Hyde said CSU haven’t found a way to produce their best rugby over longer periods.
“When a big side runs over us we let them do it until we find our feet,” he said.
“That’s our problem. We either don’t start well then play our way into it or we start really well then let teams back into it. We’ve got to get some consistency for the full 80 minutes.”
The game was a completely different story to what unfolded earlier in the season at University Oval, where CSU surrendered an early lead to go down in a much closer 22-12 defeat.
The win for Forbes keeps them in second place on the table, with seven-point buffer over Orange City, while CSU sit in eighth.
It was a tough day across all grades for the visitors with losses in seconds and colts.