Norths on top at Porirua!
Northern United came out on top in the American Ambassadors 7s at Porirua Park on Saturday afternoon. The Norths Number 1 side was victorious in the Cup competition and the Norths Number 2 side won the Plate competition.
Norths scored a close win over Poneke in the opening game of the day before getting up over Oriental-Rongotai 2 in their final pool match. They met a strong Hutt Old Boys Marist side in the semi-final and scored a good victory. Opponents in the final Oriental-Rongotai had wins over MSP and Norths second side in pool play before getting up over Poneke in the semi-final.
The final between Northern United and Oriental-Rongotai was a star studded affair. New Zealand representatives Buxton Popoalii and Julian Savea lined up on either side as well as Hurricanes and Lions representatives on both sides. The final was a pulsating affair with Norths getting out to an early lead; Buxton Popoalii caused havoc on the flanks while Tomasi Palu orchestrated play nicely in the midfield. The second half saw Oriental-Rongotai come back into the game with Julian Savea showing his big match abilities. Unfortunately the run came too late with Norths coming out on top with a 28-19 victory.
The American Ambassador presented the trophy to Tomasi Palu the Norths Captain. Ambassador Huebner was impressed by the standard of play on show and said it was an honour to reinstate the tradition of the Ambassador presenting the trophy named after him.