Byron Bay defeats arch-rivals

BYRON BAY rugby union coach Warren Fisher called it the best win he has been involved in.

Mitch Loane scored his fourth try with the last play of the match to hand the Bay a 25-24 victory and end Bangalow's half-decade dominance of village rugby.

Making the win sweet for Fisher and his men was the fact that they had eliminated their arch-rivals on their home turf. “You could hear a pin drop when Mitch went over,” Fisher said.

Byron Bay trailed 13-0 early and 20-10 in the second-half but kept fighting back. But even the hardened supporters thought it was all over when Kerry Jennings slotted a penalty to send Bangalow ahead 25-20.

“There was no time on the clock,” Fisher said. “The ref basically said ‘One more play and it's all over'. All Byron had to do was catch the kick-off and put the ball out, but we managed to land it right on the 10-metre line and retain possession.”

What happened next you could pen a film script about. “We just kept driving forward – knowing that we only had one chance,” Fisher said. “It took us about a dozen phases and we were on the left touchline; we ran a move to the right and sure enough Mitchy grabbed his fourth try to win the game. Unbelievable.”

And Byron Bay had beaten Bangalow – reigning five-time premiers – for just the second time in the Village rugby competition history.

Next challenge comes when the Bay heads to Kyogle on Saturday with the winner to face Yamba in the grand final.