Northland Rugby held off Ra’s powerful second-half comeback to win 23-19 in their first Vanua Cup encounter.
The home side picked up from their 13-7 lead before half time, crossing for another try early in the second spell to extend their advantage and put Ra on the back foot.
Facing an uphill battle, Ra responded with renewed urgency. They kept the pressure on Northland’s defence and were rewarded with two second-half tries to claw their way back into the contest.
One of the tries was successfully converted, while the other conversion attempt drifted wide, leaving Ra just short of completing the comeback.
Northland absorbed the late pressure with disciplined defence and managed the closing stages well to keep their four-point lead until the final whistle.
The hard-fought victory gives Northland a winning start to their Vanua Cup campaign, while Ra will draw encouragement from a determined performance that saw them push their opponents all the way despite falling narrowly short.
The match highlighted the competitive nature of the competition, with both sides producing performance of quality rugby in an entertaining opening-round encounter.
The Northland side opens their campaign on a good note after the side’s U20, women’s and men’s team closed off their round one matches in victories.
