"We have to dig deep"

"We have to dig deep. It's going to hurt, but we have to give it all we've got," pleaded Antonio Shalfoon to his tired teammates on Saturday.

The Lincoln High School First XV captain was in an unusual position. Inexplicably his team which hadn't won a game all season had taken the lead with five minutes to go against Marlborough Boys' College.

Mighty Marlborough who won the UC Championship in 2013 and missed the final by two points last year had blown a 22-5 lead to a side that had failed to win in eight starts in 2015. What is going on?

"It's funny we were quit calm at halftime", Shalfoon recalls.

"From the sidelines it looked like another week and another loss, but we talked about reducing mistakes, playing tighter and really believed we could win."

Why did you believe you could win given the previous results this season?

"Accept for the St. Andrew's game we have been competitive in every game. We've had a lot of injures this year, but we were pretty much at full strength on Saturday", Shalfoon says.

Lincoln has the First XV and a combined Year 9 and 10 team that plays on a Wednesday. Shalfoon himself had missed a month with an ankle injury.

Lincoln changed their tactics in the second-half. Aggressive "pick and goes" combined with accurate and varied set-pieces surprised Marlborough.

Nigel Satherley who had scored two tries in the first-half and nine this season was shutdown.

Sam Cottam rumbled over from a maul for Lincoln who then started to play with real expression.  

First-Five Cameron Power was a dominant figure. He scored three tries, the last of which catapulted Lincoln ahead, Shalfoon describes the action:

"Cameron is a really good player with lots of flair. From a lineout on halfway he got the ball beat three or four defenders and scored, it was unbelievable."

Ahead 27-25, Lincoln conceded a penalty 40-meters out with a minute to go. Marlborough boasts Mitch Smith the leading points scorer in the UC Championship for the past two years.

Strangely Marlborough turned down a kickable shot at goal and opted for a lineout. Shalfoon is a 1.97cm lock who has represented Canterbury Country under-18's. He describes the last lineout.

"They threw short and I got up quick and battered into touch. The referee blew his whistle for fulltime and it was pretty surreal and crazy."

It was the first time Lincoln had beaten Marlborough Boys' and is a result that could seriously derail  Marlborough's semi-final prospects.

In 2014 Lincoln won five games and achieved maiden victories over Christ's College and Shirley Boys' High School.

Recent New Zealand under-20 representatives Tom Saunders and Mitchell Dunshea are old boys, but beating Marlborough Boys' Shalfoon says is a real feather in the cap.

"It's a really proud moment for the boys and a great reward in perseverance for our coaches Wiremu Gray and Mikaele Tuu'u (ex Northland)." 

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