Wanganui have won provincial rugby's Meads Cup, beating South Canterbury 28-11 in the final in Timaru.
Sir Colin Meads holds the Meads Cup before Wanganui beat South Canterbury in the final Photo: Photosport
An impressive long-range try gave the visitors the crucial score with around 15 minutes remaining, as left wing Samu Kubunavanua finished off a scintillating end-to-end move from behind their own goal-line.
The try featured multiple short passes and evasive running before Kubunavanua raced across the South Canterbury line to make it 21-11.
Halfback Lindsay Horrocks then finished off an opportunist try shortly after the restart as Wanganui made the game safe at 28-11.
Michael Nabuliwaqe of Wanganui scores in the tackle of South Canterbury's Rupeni Cokanasiga Photo: Photosport
Flanker Sam Veu scored a very early try for South Canterbury, but Wanganui hit back with a try of their own to their other Fijian winger, Michael Nabuilwaqe.
Wanganui led 11-8 at half-time.
Lochore Cup goes to King Country
Earlier, the second-tier Heartland Championship trophy went to King Country as they won the Lochore Cup.
They beat North Otago 47-34 in the final in Te Kuiti.
King Country's James Hemara is tackled in the Lochore Cup final against North Otago in Te Kuiti Photo: Photosport
The hosts led from the first score at Rugby Park, and it took North Otago 48 minutes to hit the front.
Then it was a see-sawing game until right on the 60th minute mark, when a mistake in their own 22 led to the key try.
An intercepted chip kick resulted in King Country No.8 Rob Sherson dotting down for his second try, though another missed conversion ensured that was still only a six-point lead for the hosts, despite them scoring six tries to the visitors' eventual tally of four.
But then the replacement forward Manuele Alofa sealed the points late on with King Country's seventh try.
King Country celebrate after the Lochore Cup win Photo: Photosport
A last-minute consolation try to North Otago narrowed the gap in the final scoreline.
East Coast fined over eligibility breach
Meanwhile, fellow Heartland Championship province East Coast has been fined $5,000 and will lose two bonus points - the East Coast's only points this season - after the union admitted breaching New Zealand Rugby's player eligibility regulations.
The breach occurred in the match against King Country on October the 10th (which East Coast lost 60 - 14) when East Coast allowed four loan players to take the field during the game. The maximum number of loan players allowed in a playing 22 is three.
East Coast notified NZR of the breach, admitted the breach and expressed remorse.
