Central North Rugby: Pirates stave off gallant challenge from Walcha to win qualifying final
Pirates coach Mat Kelly was again proclaiming his side’s character after they defeated a plucky Walcha 24-18 in Saturday’s qualifying final to land a second successive home grand final. It was another colossal contest, with the defending champions forced to dig deep, as they did when the sides met three weeks ago. First, they had to claw their way back after the Rams made a blistering start, and then they had to hold out a Rams side who was unrelenting to the final whistle. “