Athletic Marist retain trophy
A chaotic final five minutes that had two lead changes ended with Athletic Marist being crowned the Pasifika kings of rugby again.
They led Old Boys 25-20 late in their Citizens Shield round nine game on Saturday.
Old Boys were able to work their way down the field and eventually into the Athies' 22m.
Their forwards inched closer and closer to the line before halfback Tini Feke burrowed over under the posts.
Alex Wilson knocked over the easy conversion to give Old Boys a two-point lead with time running out.
They were able to secure the ball from the kick-off, but Athies won a penalty at the breakdown.
They opted for the shot at goal, despite having at this point used two goal-kickers, neither of whom had made a single kick.
A third kicker, Osea Qamasea, stepped up for his first attempt of the game, lined up from about 40m out, and nailed it.
Athies led by one point, but Old Boys were not done yet.
A sloppy clearance gave them one last crack.
The Athies defence stood tall, however, and they escaped with the 28-27 win.
It was the second annual clash for the Pasifika Kings of Rugby Bowl, which Athletic Marist retained.
Earlier, it was Old Boys who set the tone early.
They turned down an easy three points to take a quick tap which paid off as Sailosi Vea scored.
Athies hit back with a try of their own from Mateo Qoliesse before Wilson knocked over a penalty for Old Boys.
Athies then ran in three straight tries to build a 10-point lead.
A brilliant individual try from Old Boys' Hopoate Finau, in which he beat three Athies defenders, made it a 20-17 game at halftime.
Athies scored early in the second half before Wilson kicked a second penalty to set up the thrilling finish.
Elsewhere, Valley stayed top of the table after a convincing 44-11 win over Kurow.
Sporting special edition jerseys to honour the 20th anniversary of the undefeated 2005 side, they ran in seven tries to get the job done.
The victory extends their win streak to seven in a row.
Excelsior were dominant in their 61-34 win over Maheno.
The sides combined for 15 tries and 95 points.
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