Former All Black Dan Carter once said, "nerves are natural, it means you are ready to face a challenge and perform".
Maka Paki Paki, coach of the Matthew & Co Senior Bs rugby team, says his team are certainly ready to face the challenge of defending their division one club championship title this coming Saturday, and he has no doubt that they will perform brilliantly.
For the second year in a row the Stratford Rugby and Sports Club division one side have fought through the round robin competition and made their way to the finals.
"While there was some expectation at the beginning of the season that because we won it last year we would definitely make the finals again, that isn't the case. It's not a right to defend the title, it's an honour that the team have worked hard for."
Team captain Gary Old says, "we came out fighting on Saturday and were determined to focus on what we could achieve, not on what the other team were going to do."