Internationals fall in final, Blues to defend their title
On a blustery afternoon at Kilbirnie Park the Internationals fell 13-29 to Poneke Ruffnuts in the Reserve Grade Division One final (video highlights below).
Playing with a strong northerly in the first half, they conceded a try within the first five minutes but then repelled wave after wave of Poneke's attack but couldn't capitalize after putting together multiple phases to close the half. They trailed 3-7 at the half.
Two Poneke tries against the run of play early in the second half along with the deadly boot of Toby Robson put the Ruffnuts out to what proved to be an unassailable lead. However in true Internationals spirit the team fought hard to the end putting together some great team plays and eventually scored a deserved consolation try.
Meanwhile, over the road at Evans Bay Park the Under 85kg Blues showed why they are the three-time defending Paul Potiki Shield champions with a comprehensive thumping of Eastbourne 61-8 in their Semi Final. They will face Tawa Titans in next week's final, we'll confirm the match details as they come to hand.
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