Pirates plunder their second 7s
THE Pirates returned to their swashbuckling best, taking out the Stihl Shop Townsville Rugby 7s in emphatic fashion.
It was also a moment of redemption for most of the Pirates squad who were part of the Teachers West Bulldogs side that ended a five-year premiership run at the hands of Brothers last weekend.
It was a second Townsville 7s title in three years for the Pirates after they failed to enter a side in last year’s competition.
While big-name players Curtis Rayment and Dan Carmen controlled the action across the weekend, it was a rugby union convert who stole the show in the grand final. Former Cowboys flyer Zac Santo tore the decider apart as the Pirates dominated fellow Townsville outfit Crocs 42-12.
“We kicked on really well in the final, we had played them earlier in the competition on the opening day but they were looking pretty sharp on day two,” Pirates coach Chris Barlow said. “We started off really well and pinned them down in their end of the field.
“Zac Santo and John Vinson just used their raw pace to tear them apart.
“(Santo) is that level above, you can tell he has had that NRL development background. He was playing toplevel league in France just before COVID. His speed off the mark to get around guys, it is amazing to watch.
“When he puts the hammer down, he just makes it look pretty easy.”
Barlow admitted the Pirates had not completed any training before the competition and had no set plays for the weekend, just a general style of how they wanted to play.
“We just wanted to keep the chat up and not give them the ball, sevens is about how much possession you have,” he said.
“When we had the ball we tried to make the most of it and, when we didn’t, we tried to get it back.
“Making them make mistakes, we kept it pretty simple.”
It was a massive effort from the Pirates who had to overcome a star-studded Larrikins side, which featured Blackhawks favourites Kalifa Faifai Loa, Jaelen Feeney and Kyle Laybutt in the Cup’s semifinals on Sunday.
The Crocs, which were led by Brothers premiershipwinning centre Bohdi Kersh, also had to overcome a giant challenge in the semi-finals against the powerful Tjengala Warriors.
The tournament, which at one stage appeared unlikely due to the COVID restrictions, proved a major success for the Townsville District Rugby Union with more than 30 sides entered across the two days.