CSU picks up their first win of New Holland Cup season with 18-16 result over Dubbo Rhinos

The hosts turned up ready to fire on Old Boys Day and survived a great back and forth battle with the Dubbo Rhinos to record an 18-16 win.

It's a massive turnaround for CSU against a side who annihilated them 60-0 back on the opening weekend of the season.

A missed conversion would be all that separated the two teams, who each scored two tries and kicked a pair of penalties.

CSU club president Sebastian Etheridge said that while the result is a welcome one for the team it shows a trend that's been prevalent throughout the start of the New Holland season.

"It was a massive game from the boys," he said.

"We went out there with pretty much the same team that we've put forward every week, so coming away with that result means a lot to the guys. Old Boys Day was definitely a driving factor as well in the win.

"Every team is struggling to travel in our competition but our boys and girls have been finally starting to gel a bit better together."

Each side traded a try and a penalty to leave the scores locked at 8-all at the end of the opening half.

CSU got off to a stronger start in the second half and were able to jump out to a 10-point advantage on the back of a converted try and another penalty.

However, a penalty and an unconverted try put the Rhinos right back in striking distance.

That led to a tense final 10 minutes of action for CSU as they looked to defend their way to a first win of 2023.

It's a cruel result for the Rhinos who also lost by two points a week earlier, going down 23-21 to the Narromine Gorillas.

CSU will hope the wins can keep coming when they travel to play the Mudgee Wombats.

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