YOUNG GUNS TRIUMPH IN BRUTAL CLASH
NEVER have Island Breeze been defeated in the Townsville Festival of 7s.
But after a four-year hiatus from the competition, they returned only to be felled by a determined band of youngsters.
Travelling from the Sunshine Coast, the Tahi Matai unit of players all under the age of 21 thwarted the Fijian favourites in an aggressive, thrilling 17-5 Cup final. For captain Harry Langbridge it was a moment of sweet vengeance, after the two sides had fought it out in Roma earlier in the year.
While they lost that encounter, Langbridge said Tahi Matai’s ability to absorb each ferocious hit and willingness to spread the ball proved the difference this time around.
In doing so they epitomised everything their team name represents: Tahi meaning ‘rise as one’ and Matai translating to ‘come together’.
“It was great, bloody physical; they were smashing the whole day so it was good fun to get a win against them,” he said.
“I’ll be pretty sore, a few of the boys will be feeling it. It’s hard to play against (Island Breeze), they’re always looking for an offload so when you make one tackle you have to make three more as they offload to the next guy. “It’s very tough to play against. We spread the ball around a bit better than we usually do, held on to it and absorbed a bit of the contact.”
Tahi Matai will return to the Sunshine Coast and prepare to take part in competitions in Brisbane and Noosa, fuelled with renewed belief they can take the 7s circuit by storm.