Blues, Queensland Women crowned champions in Brisbane

Blues, Queensland Women crowned champions in Brisbane

New Zealand teams have once again stamped their class on the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens after the Blues won a thrilling tournament final 10-7 against the Hurricanes.

The pointscoring slowed in the tournament climax at Suncorp Stadium but the pressure forged a diamond in the shape of George Moala who scored after the final whistle to hand the title to Tana Umaga’s Blues.

It had been a successful weekend for the Kiwi teams who made up three of the four semi-finalists in front of 19,326 people in Brisbane.

The Hurricanes were a surprise packet and nearly had the championship in the bag after Alex Fidow scored an early try from a clever lineout move.

Then Akira Ioane and Moala struck in a matter of minutes to break the Hurricanes' hearts.

Earlier, the host city crowned a new team of champions after the Queensland Women's team scored a knife-edge 10-5 win against New South Wales in the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens final against New South Wales.

Two moments of individual brilliance from Brisbane teenager, player of the tournament Alysia Fakaosilea, ripped the inaugural title from NSW’s grasp.
With the scores level at 5-5, Fakaosilea forced a turnover after a crushing tackle on NSW speedster Olivia Brooks.

She then backed up Zahara Temara for the match-winning try.
“This means everything,” Fakaosilea said.

By any on-field measure, the Tens was a roaring success.
From the highlight reel thrills of the women’s games on Friday night to the mind boggling-depth of the New Zealand teams’ production lines, there was something in it for every fan.

And there were encouraging signs from the Reds who shocked the Chiefs in the qualifying final.

Each year powerhouses the Crusaders and the Blues unearth new talent to replenish their stocks of proven international stars and this year should be no different.

Caleb Clarke was the talking point for the Auckland side.

The locomotive former New Zealand under-20s winger was the leading tryscorer through the pool stage of the tournament with five five-pointers.

“Everyone’s working hard and emptying the tank,” Clarke said after the Blues’ 29-7 win against the Rebels.

“We’re enjoying the space and everyone has a chance to express themselves.
“All I do is get the ball and put it down.”

The Crusaders’ performance was remarkable on several levels.

In a format that favours fast, attacking rugby, they conceded just one try throughout the pool stages, even keeping the Fijians scoreless in the pool game.
Led by 22-year-old George Bridge, they benefited from eye-catching contributions from young contenders Brett Cameron (21), Ethan Blackadder (22) and Tom Christie (19).
They had the title in sight before their 14-10 upset loss to the Hurricanes in the semi-final.

Finals
QUEENSLAND 10 (Fakaosilea, Treherne tries) d NSW 5 (Vette-Welsh try)

BLUES 10 (Ioane, Moala tries) d HURRICANES 7 (Fidow try; Garden-Bachop conv)

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