The winners of the inaugural Red Bull Force Back rugby competition have been crowned.
The C-City Battlers from Christchurch and Don't Force It from Wellington won the men's and women's divisions respectively at Coastal Rugby Club in Taranaki.
Teams from throughout the five regions gathered at the Novotel Hotel. New relationships were forged, as were rivalries. The scene was set for an epic day of Force Back.
Teams kicked off under light drizzle and slippery conditions, which tested their ball handling skills and the sprigs on their boots early on.
After five rounds of pool play, the semifinalists had been decided. The men's division had gone as expected, with favourites Auckland claiming first place in the pool and securing a match-up against fourth-placed Wellington. The other men's semi was to be a ripper, with Waikato and Canterbury in an epic battle.
Wellington went into the women's semifinals as firm favourites after comprehensively winning all of their pool matches. However, their semifinal against a determined Otago outfit was no cakewalk.