Leppävaara. The conditions were clear before the grand final of Finnish Rugby this Saturday in Leppävaara Stadium. Fans decked in black and gold filled the stands to support the undefeated Warriors Rugby Club. On Saturday September 28, Warriors secured their 10th Finnish Championship, solidifying their place as most championships won by a Finnish rugby team.

Warriors Rugby Club, founded 2001, bested the Porvoo Old Town Shamrocks 17-15 in Porvoo’s first championship final appearance. Warriors already defeated Porvoo twice in regular season games, guaranteeing their spot in the finals match. Over 600 tickets were sold for the Finnish Rugby Finals, featuring three matches and a series of exhibition games for juniors, ranging from 6-17.

“Winning the championship after the season we had felt very fitting. Porvoo pushed us to our limits and forced us to really dig deep for the win. They were the most deserving finalists and on any other day could have walked out as SM champions,” stated Tony Kenny, who played in jersey number 2 for Warriors.

The underdog from Porvoo shocked Warriors with an early try in the third minute and led the scoreboard for the majority of the 80 minute game.

The final minutes then turned into quite a thriller: Entering the hot phase of the game with a level score of 12-12, Porvoo kicked a successful penalty bringing in a 12-15 lead. With only ten minutes left, Warriors scored a try, going two points ahead (17-15). In connection to this try, Porvoo #15 received his second yellow card due to a dangerous tackle, which resulted in a red card and removal from the game. Only one minute later, following the restart kick after the try, Porvoo #8 was also removed with a red card for another high and dangerous tackle. Down to 13 men against Warrior’s 15, Porvoo kept up the fight and tried everything to get the needed 3 points, from a penalty or drop goal to regain the lead. Despite these efforts, Warriors maintained the slim margin for the rest of the game and earned their second consecutive championship trophy.

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