After Principia was rolling through the competition in the Big Rivers and earning the bye week before the playoffs, you'd have been forgiven for thinking the conference final was a foregone conclusion.

But at GRR World Headquarters we weren't that surprised. After seeing Wheeling play and defeat Marian in the semifinals, and seeing how varied they could be in their rugby, while Principia inched past an admittedly improved Thomas More in their semi, it seemed clear Wheeling could cause them problems.

It was also clear that while Principia entered the game 4-0 in conference play and 4-1 overall, their average winning margin was just over eight, with three of the four wins within a try. As explosive as Principia could be, they had not exploded for big scores. Against Mariana and Thomas More, Principia scored a total of 41 points, while Wheeling had scored 75. 

Still, this was a tight-run thing with both teams showcasing their cover defense and their overall team speed.

Principia took a relatively early lead but the momentum and scoring traded throughout the match. They retook the lead with 20 to go with a try to nudge ahead 17-15.

The Principia defense looked to hold firm after that and almost did it, keeping the score 17-15 until less than five minutes to go. Ruan Karimazondo  burst through and offloaded to flanker Aaron Juma, who continued his strong run of form with a solid support line and a long-range gallop to score. Chief Chipfumbu converted to make it 22-17. It was Juma’s second try of the day and it held up as Wheeling won it 22-17.