St Pat’s Town upset Scots in final
THE 20-year wait is over.
The St Pat’s Town first XV recorded their first Wellington premiership title since 1995 with a deserved, if unexpected, 19-8 victory over top qualifiers Scots College at Porirua Park yesterday.
Town have consistently been in the premier one top four but have usually had difficulty getting past the semifinals and had not made a final since 2010.
Their win maintained a pattern of surprise results in the premier one final. It was the fifth successive time that a team had gone into the final with an undefeated record in the Wellington competition and lost.
Town set up yesterday’s win when they led 19-3 at halftime, after playing into the wind.
Scots, the defending champions, kicked an early penalty but Town skipper Jack Nelson-Murray scored four minutes later and the Town supporters were in good spirits for the remainder of the match.
Town centre Billy Proctor, who was named man of the match by the Sky commentary team, scored twice in the first-half from Scots’ errors. Proctor first pounced on a pass that missed its mark and the second time the ball went almost directly into his hands and he made full use of the gift.
Scots lacked accuracy in the first 35 minutes but that was partly due to a committed display by the Town pack, who dominated the set pieces, supported by stout defence from the backs.
The Scots playmakers, prop Alex Fidow and twins Peter and Thomas Umaga-Jensen were kept in check in the first half.
‘‘I think our line speed was a big factor,’’ Town coach Glenn Donaldson said. ‘‘We were getting out there and shutting them down. We took advantage of a couple of their mistakes in the first half and gutsed it out in the second half.’’
Scots were much more effective in the second half and Fidow and the twins began to find space but opportunities were lost with the last pass or with one man to beat. Town winger Connor Fitzsimons (twice) and fullback Siosaia Paese produced try-saving tackles and it was inside the last 10 minutes before Peter Umaga-Jensen scored Scots’ first and only try.