Tokanui a team to be watched in 1980..................

Tokanui beat Edendale 24-11 at Rugby Park in 1980 which meant they won the second division of the combined rugby competition.
Edendale were without their captain-coach Donald Hay, Chris McDonald and Alex Milne which caused them to lose direction as a team.  
TOKANUI: Shane O'Donnell (1), Chris Sanders (2), Stewart Dermody (1) Wayne Stronach (2con)
EDENDALE: Trevor Caldwell (2) Wayne Gibson (1Pg)
REFEREE: Mr M. Jarvis.
Tokanui then lost to Pirates the following week in an even clash at Oreti Park.  Tokanui was up by six in the first half before Pirates hit their hobbles by continual pressure on the opposites defence.  Wayne and Reid Boynton were the culprits and even when they swapped positions it just got better.  A great try was scored when a 5 M scrum saw Pirates run the ball through the backline until Grant Stirling on the wing got up for the try.
The forwards were evenly matched, so much so, that at times the rucks and mauls were vicious with Referee, R. Forrester having to keep a tight lid on tempers.
PIRATES: Barry Beleski (2) Grant Stirling (1) Kevin Burns (1con) (1 PG)
TOKANUI: Shane O'Donnell (2)  Jeff Gardiner (2 PG)
Reference: The Southland Times July 1980