The Kiama Sevens Cup is heading to Melbourne for the first time with Box Hill claiming the prestigious competition.
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The victory marks the first time a Victorian team has won the tournament, which was contested for the 45th time at Kiama Showground on Saturday.
Box Hill defeated defending champions Warringah 21-7 in the final, collecting $11,000 in prizemoney in the process.
Temora fnished the competition in third place after defeating Manly 14-12 in a tense Plate final. The team from the Riverina entered the Plate final after falling to Warringah 19-5 in the Cup semi-final. Box Hill defeated Manly 10-7 in a low-scoring affair.
The Broncos swept through the tournament undefeated, with comprehensive victories over Randwick and Hunters Hill before a tight 14-12 victory over Wests Harbour saw Box Hill finish atop the pool and progress through to the semi-finals.
Box Hill played an expansive style of football throughout the day, passing the ball around and using the full width of the field to make the most of the extra space on offer. The Broncos defence was also impressive, with Box Hill conceding just four tries throughout the event.
Warringah were unable to shut down the Broncos frequent offloads, with Box Hill controlling the final from start to finish. The few times Warringah were able to break through the Box Hill defensive line, the Broncos scrambled to chase down the Warringah attackers and force turnovers.
Box Hill led 14-0 midway through the first half and Warringah were never able to get on the front foot. A long-range try shortly after half-time cut the gap to seven points, but Box Hill immediately hit back and extended the lead to 14.
While the Warringah men fell one step short of the men's Cup, the women were able to reach the top step of the podium and claim the women's Vase competition. The Rats outplayed Sydney Uni to claim a 19-0 victory.
The clubs from the South Coast were well represented at the business end of the tournament. Kiama topped their Country Cup pool to progress to the final of the country competition. However, the tournament hosts were no match for Lakes, falling 36-0 in the final.
The South Coast Sharks also performed admirably, progressing to the final of the Bowl division. The Sharks, however, ran into a red-hot Cooks Hill in the final, falling 31-7 to the Novocastrians.
In one of the unique aspects of the competition, the Balmain AFL club entered a team in the main competition. Unfortunately Balmain, playing in AFL jumpers, was unable to progress beyond the pool stage, losing all three games they contested.