The Marist Spartans, a community rugby team made up of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, won the North Shore 2nd Level Championship on Saturday.
The Spartans defeated the favourites for the championship, North Shore — the team which had won the championship title for the last three years, and was undefeated in the last two seasons.
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The Spartans won the grand final 22 to17, indicating how closely the game was played. At times the larger and more powerful North Shore team looked like they would overpower the smaller, but faster Spartans. But, in the end, speed and execution proved to be the right combination to win the title.
"We went into the game as under-dogs," said Luke Mitchell. "We all decided to give 100%, and every player did just that."
Following the trophy presentation by Buck Shelford, former captain of the All Blacks, both team leaders complimented all the players on the field on a well-played game. With only minor injuries, both teams should be ready for next season.
Read more about the Latter-day Saint rugby players here.
In an article on the Church's Newsroom website it states that "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons) can be found at every level of society." Read the entire article here.