Internationals primed for final

The mighty Internationals, stalwarts of the Reserve grade, will contest the Alan Seerup Cup on Saturday taking on the OBU 'Pink Ginners' at Te Whaea at 2.30pm. We got the low-down on the season and what to expect in tomorrow's match.

How the season has gone thus far?

There are some seasons which you would dub a "unicorn season". Those are the ones which you will tell your kids about - or the random stranger in the pub when you are 80. This one is gearing up to be one of those. A solid group of lads and the results to go with it.

We've gone from strength to strength. We started off the season dominating the first 20 minutes and managing to - mostly - hold out for the remaining 60 minutes. This flipped to holding out for 80 minutes and dominating for an additional 20 minutes in the semi final. We finished the first round as second seed - to the Pink Ginners, and the second round as second seed - to the Pink Ginners. This weekend we are going to maintain one trend and smash the other.

Who the standout players are this year and who to watch out for the final?

The one to watch is the lad on the field with a red jersey, a couple of flags on his arms and some interestingly placed sponsor logos. We got here through a team effort.

Within that there are a couple of diamonds in the ruby pile. Mike Bridges, our captain has led from the front all season with a number of man of the match performances no doubt he'll bring the same heat this week. There are a number of new recruits who have brought sparks of of youthful zeal that have reignited the smouldering embers of the veterans. Youth and youth adjacent alike should bring a thrilling game this weekend.

What should we expect for the final and what might supporters want to know about your opposition?

A fiercely fought, well executed game. We will be leaving nothing on the field - no couldas, oughtas or shouldas. We've faced the Pink Ginners twice this season and come off second best - won't happen a third time. They are a solid foe and if you look closely you might see a couple of players who play a distinctly MSP style.

The numbers

The tale of the tape will tell you that the two best teams have made it to the 2021 Grand Final. To the naked eye, it might also tell you that the Internationals are coming into the Te Whaea Park fixture at 2.30 pm on Saturday as clear underdogs. Even the Internationals would forgive you for drawing that conclusion based solely on the below.

FIRST ROUND	MSP INTERNATIONALS	OBU PINK GINNERS

Table standings	2nd seed with 27 points	1st seed with 32 points
W - L - D	5 - 0 - 2	6 - 1 - 0
For - Against	197 - 135	245 - 129
For - Against game average	28 - 19	35 - 18
Head to head	May 15^th at MacAlister Park MSP INTERNATIONALS lost 15 - 19 (10 - 5HT)

SECOND ROUND	INTERNATIONALS	PINK GINNERS

Table standings	2nd seed with 29 points	1st seed with 34 points
W - L - D	6 - 0 - 1	7 - 0 - 0 (one WBD)
For - Against	229 - 95	209 - 81 (over 6 games)
For - Against game average	33 - 13	35 - 14 (over 6 games)
Head to head	July 10^th at MacAlister Park Pink Ginners win 24 - 15 (14 - 15HT)

RESERVE GRADE SEMI FINALS - AUGUST 7^th
Pink Ginners (1) vs Upper Hutt Thirstys (4)	Pink Ginners win at Kelburn Park 58 - 14
MSP INTERNATIONALS (2) vs Upper Hutt J8s (3)	INTERNATIONALS win at Evans Bay Park 29 - 24 after 20 mins overtime (24 - 24FT / 12 - 19HT) -

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