(JD Black photo)

The West has qualified for the Tier I final at the college National All-Star Championships with a 43-12 victory over the Mid-Atlantic in the second semifinal Thursday in Glendale, CO.

The Mustangs had an ordinary first half but turned on the afterburners in the second frame to win going away.

The first half was a dour affair with the Mid-Atlantic leading 12-9 at halftime. Two Dirk Scheepers tries, plus a Luke Roberts conversion saw the Sharks get their nose in front.

Three penalty goals by Hamish Roberts accounted for the West’s miserly score, however, the second stanza was all one-way traffic and it wasn’t headed east.

Four tries and a Charlie Euwema goal-kicking show turned the game around. The West, which had looked to be stalled in the first forty, suddenly was able to run at will and found gaping holes out wide that the Mid-Atlantic couldn’t plug.

The match didn’t match the intensity or entertainment value of the first semi as it was marred by spilled ball and sloppy play.

Logan Collins, Tony Lewis, Saade Bou-Mikael and Dan Wonstolen were the West’s try-scorers. Euwema booted four conversions and two penalty goals for a personal haul of 14 points.

“We played just a little bit tight and a little tentative in the first half,” West head coach Rich Cortez told ARN. “We had most of the possession and most of the territory and we switched up some playmakers.

“We got a little loose with the ball at the end, but you take the good with the bad.”

From the Mid-Atlantic’s perspective, it was more or less a case of not playing to their strengths which were taking the ball up the middle and employing width to their game and consequently they were outplayed.

“Our forwards didn’t go forward,” said Mid-Atlantic head coach Gregg ‘Doc’ Jones. “Our wide game is our game but we didn’t go forward to punch the ball up the midfield to set the wide game up.

“We got outplayed in that particular principle of the game and it hurt us greatly.”

As a result of the match, the West will square off against Southern California in Saturday’s Tier I championship decider.

ARN’s coverage of the college National All-Star Championships is proudly presented by Down Under Rugby.

Take your game to the next level by experiencing rugby in Australia. For more information visit www.downunderrugby.com

And when in the Denver area, ARN chooses to stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Cherry Creek