Kiama asserted their dominance over the Illawarra District Rugby Union competition last weekend, claiming emphatic wins in both grades against the Camden Rams.

Played at Camden Rugby Park, Kiama’s first-grade side ran in five tries in each half to secure a thumping 64-17 victory.

Centre Mick Taylor was the standout performer, crossing the line four times. Captain Jack Hobbs added a double, while flyhalf Cooper Hansen contributed 17 points with a try and six goals.

Kiama forward Dante Patrick praised the team’s overall performance but acknowledged there were still areas to improve.

“I thought our discipline and defence throughout the game were actually pretty sound, but there were just some unlucky reads. Camden threw a couple of moves at us that we weren't really ready for - hats off to them,” Patrick said.

“But after those 17 points, we made it personal. From that point on, we didn’t want to let anything else through.”

Kiama’s reserve grade team also put on a dominant display, winning 52-17.

“Both grades went out there this week with the mindset of making a statement heading into the business end of the season,” said Patrick.

“We just wanted to show we’re the team to beat in both grades. Camden put up an awesome fight, but we wanted to show that it’s going to be really tough for anyone to beat us in the run home - and I think we executed that pretty well.”

With the two wins, it's all but confirmed that both Kiama teams will host a home major semi-final in two weeks - an achievement not seen in Kiama for many years.

“It’s one for the history books, having both grades playing in a major semi at Kiama,” said Patrick. “It’s going to be massive, and we can’t wait to put on a big performance on such a big stage in front of a home crowd.”

Both teams are currently sitting second on their respective ladders, with an outside chance of finishing first depending on next weekend’s results.

As they prepare for finals rugby, Patrick said the focus now turns to opposition analysis.

“We’re studying our likely opponents and looking at what we can do to get the job done,” he said.

“For example, Campbelltown - who are in first place - are a very powerful, well-rounded team. They’ve got strength, pace, skill, and flair, just like us.

“So we’ve been focusing on our own playing group - figuring out who we need to start the game strong and who can come off the bench and close it out.”

Both grades will face Bowral at Kiama Showground on Saturday (23 August) in the final round of the regular season.