League fans witnessed an excellent game in Whangarei last night with the Kiwis U18 team taking on the Australian Schoolboys in the first of two official tests here in NZ.
In what was a tightly fought game with the lead changing a number of times, it was the support of the home crowd that carried the Kiwi lads to victory.
The spirit of the haka carried on into the match with some devastating defence from the Kiwis who took first blood before the Aussies showed their wares, and they were over again before the Kiwis came back to lead at halftime.
With Australia shifting up another gear in the second half, the signs looked ominous for the Kiwi boys.
Since the team's inception in the early 1970s, the famous Australian Schoolboys team has reared a host of league legends and it wasn't until the 1990s that the Kiwis came close, but this particular night, the Kiwis were flying and their opposition couldn't hold them.
The second test takes place this Saturday in Ōtāhuhu.