Southern Lions had beaten Rockingham RUFC in the 2016 Grand Final. It had gone down to the wire with Southern Lions defending our line at the final whistle to spark huge celebrations.

Southern Lions were expecting a very tough game but it turned out to be a very successful day for Southern Lions.

Southern Lions won 46-10 scoring 7 tries to 2 and with 4 successful conversions and 1 penalty.

Southern Lions co-coach Dan King provided the following summary of the game

"An excellent display of running, passionate rugby played at Rockingham in perfect rugby conditions with only a slight breeze.

In the lads first game of the season they scored 7 tries, 4 conversations and a penalty to beat the home side convincingly. Some outstanding performances from the whole squad with player of the day being awarded to Xavier Frasson for his excellent tackles, superb speed around the park, hitting rucks and linking well with his team mates.

Some really good team phases were shown during the match also some individual moments of skill which kept the Lions going forward and being constant threats to the Rocky side. Try of the match has to go to Branden Niemann who made a big strong break, bumping players off and with only the full back to beat decided to put a chip and chase over the last man, out sprinted him and touched down for a fine solo effort which sent the Lions players and supports into a frenzy.

The Lions pack gelled really well together with a strong scrum, setting up a good solid base for the half back to feed the Lions dangerous backs. The line out functioned fairly well with veteran Irwin Swinny soaring high like a salmon on numerous occasions. With ball in the hand the forwards looked ruthless with big carries from Aaron Baker, Jak Terry and Jessie Touala. The backline was potent and strong with notable performances from young guns Nathan alongside brother Jared Lamatoa spotting holes. Full credit to all the Lions backs, they were awesome and as the season progresses will be a major threat.

The main ethos of this side is to have fun, enjoy their rugby and play hard in a Lions jersey. We have a good blend of experienced players with some new off season recruits who have fitted in superbly. There is a big focus on developing the younger players as they will be the future of our club and we have started a mentorship program within this squad to support their development. The blend of youth and experience is really exciting and great things are expected of this talented group as the season progresses."

Congratulations to the coaches and players on a great start to the season.

Team Selection

1 Jak Terry
2 Aaron Baker
3 Rewi Haapu
4 Branden Niemann
5 Irwin Swinny
6 Xavier Frasson
7 Jeese Loala
8 Peter Jackson
9 Michael Clifton
10 Haami Henry
11 Blake Rigby
12 Nathan Lamatoa
13 Cameron Upson
14 Kurt Delome
15 Jared Lamatoa
16 Konnor Day
17 Rawiri Hinder
18 Ben Hinder
19 Jayden Jacques
20 Dawid Van Sittert
21 Ben Olislaegers
22 Jason King
23 Ethan Hill