Brothers lay claim to last finals playoff spot

 By HUXLEY LOVAI

IN the final round of the regular season, Brothers beat Spartans 17-12, to secure the third finals spot in Pool A of the Capital Rugby Union’s premier division.

Spartans held the third spot in Pool A by a single point ahead of Brothers going into the match. 

Both teams knew that for one of them their season was going to end on Saturday, while for the other was a chance to play in the finals.

Brothers, who were beaten by Defence and University, were determined to prove that they belonged with the other top teams in the final playoffs.

Standing in their way was a spirited Spartans outfit, who were also out to stake their claim for a finals spot and to shake up the playoffs by denying one of the traditional powerhouses of Port Moresby rugby union, Brothers, a place in the finals. 

As expected, the match was a gritty encounter, with both teams creating little in the way of try-scoring opportunities. 

Spartans defence was able to hold out Brothers for the majority of the second half, but eventually crumbled under the pressure, conceding a converted try. 

A late penalty goal sealed the Spartans fate and handed Brothers a hard earned win.

The other premier division match on Saturday pitted the bottom teams in Pool A, Southern Chiefs and Crusaders against each other. With both teams out of finals contention, remaining in the premier division was their main concern. The Crusaders put down the Southern Chiefs 43-5.

In yesterday’s premier division match, the top two teams of Pool A, Defence and University, battled it out to see who would top the pool, with  University coming out winners 17-12 and becoming to first team to beat Defence during the regular season.