RUGBY UNION
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ORANGE Emus have belted a hapless Forbes Platypi 71-7 at Endeavour Oval - capping a woeful day for the visitors that resulted in a 201-17 all-grade scoreline.
The hosts ran rampant in the first half of the Blowes Clothing Cup's top grade, setting up the mammoth victory with seven first half five-pointers that netted Emus a 45-nil half-time lead and secured the competition's most potent attacking outfit a bonus point after just 19 minutes.
Flanker Scott Udy bagged a double, while outside centre Nigel Staniforth ended the game with a personal tally of 26 points, sourced from a brace and eight conversions.
The 64-point win in first grade was secured after the 28-7 result in second grade and the 102-3 shellacking Emus produced in colts.
Greens co-coach Paul Ringland was happy with the result in the main game, particularly the 20 minutes prior to half-time that included tries to Staniforths Nigel and Graydon, Andrew Cosgrove - who was on the end of a rare Tom Green pass - and Udy's first courtesy of a push-over scrum effort.
VIDEO: What Paul Ringland and Jack Hammond had to say after full time:
"Our frontrow was fantastic. To score a push-over try against Forbes is very rare," Ringland enthused.
"To be honest though, I thought we started a bit flat. We got a couple of easy tries early on which probably flattered us a bit.
"About 15 minutes into the game we started to ramp up and the finish to the first half was really good.
"Forbes tried really hard, never gave in, they're a good, tough team and we really had to earn it in that second half.
"We were pretty happy."
Scintilating throughout the first 40 minutes, Emus threatened to seriously rack up a score in the second half when Udy bagged his second just two minutes into the period, Staniforth's sixth conversion making it 52-nil.
But Forbes never waived.
Obviously lacking numbers and a touch of spark out wide, the Platypi stuck to their strengths and kept the ball in tight to keep pace with the hosts for large chunks of the second 40 minutes.
With the aim of rattling their highly fancied opponents, the young Forbes outfit took things a touch too far at points - Nick Ragg was handed a yellow card for a late hit on Emus five-eighth Adam Perri, while prop Jarrod Hall was a constant menace for his opposite during the match.
Forbes was, however, ultimately rewarded for its whole-hearted effort when Henry Willis scored inside the final 10 minutes of the match, making it 64-7 before Simon Badgery scored the game's final try to end the 64-point rout.
Forbes five-eighth Jack Hammond said while disappointing to have so few numbers on the road, the Platypi was building to something special.
"Every club goes through a rebuilding phase and that's where we are at the moment," he said.
"In a couple more years and we should be up there being competitive again.
"Their defence was very strong, but we kept coming at them."
ORANGE EMUS 71 (Nigel Staniforth 2, Scott Udy 2, Graydon Staniforth, Carter Hirini, Simon Badgery, Tom Green, Scott McLean, Andrew Cosgrove, Nas Havealeta tries; Nigel Staniforth 8 conv) def FORBES PLATYPI 7 (Henry Willis try; Henry Willis goal)/