Portland Panthers overcame any disquiet they felt at entering Ngawha Prison on Saturday by inflicting defeat on the Ngawha Saints for the first time.
The gusty Portland victory was achieved with just 12 men on the park when veteran standoff, Jackson Katene, scored the winning try with less than five minutes
left on the clock for a 28-22 win.
Portland's coach and stand-in hooker on Saturday, Sam TeNamu, said he was still pinching himself to check he hadn't dreamed up the result.
"I can tell you we're still shocked with the result ourselves, it was a good game, they were very fit but in the end we made fewer mistakes than they did and that was the difference," he said.
He praised the team for digging deep to overcome the previously unbeaten team in unusual circumstances.
"The boys showed a lot of heart to win the game even though everyone felt a bit intimidated going in [to the prison] through the gates into that eerie quiet," TeNamu said.
The team were greeted by a loud haka that they weren't able to see, but TeNamu said the prison staff had been particularly welcoming and helpful.
Saints coach Joe Henare said Portland outplayed the Ngawha side in every facet of the game.
"Full credit to them, they were the better team on the day and finished better than us even though they played the last 20 minutes with only 12 men," Henare said.
"While we're obviously disappointed with the loss, hopefully having a tough match like that will end up working in our favour."
Henare complimented Portland's frontrowers, Charles Lawrence and Puhi Toa, who he said provided an outstanding platform for the Panthers.
Back rower Justin Paniona was another standout for Portland, both on attack and defence, while Katene's contribution was more than just the winning try.
Portland now share the lead in the Whangarei and Districts League with Takahiwai and Kaikohe, who both had wins over the weekend.
Takahiwai were comfortable 48-12 winners over Marist, while Kaikohe were pushed hard by the Bay Slayers, emerging as 46-30 victors.
In the weekend's other match, Hikurangi beat Northern Wairoa 34-22 to remain just two points off the pace in the competition.
