(Allene McIntosh photo)
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Both sides are full of praise for the event and what it has done for the code in this region.
Two tries in five minutes just after the hour mark saw the Tomahawks take the inaugural ‘Hotels of Jacksonville.com’ Atlantic Cup, defeating Jamaica 37-22 to the delight of a rapturous home crowd.
The hosts were largely indebted to the man they call ‘Seabiscuit’, Connecticut Wildcats winger Nate Smith, whose nickname is derived from the legendary US thoroughbred race horse.
He put in a stellar MVP performance, scoring two long-range, momentum-turning tries and kicking five goals for a personal 18-point haul.
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time” said an elated Smith. “I came up to make a tackle and twice found the ball in the air.”
A number of Jamaican team were in tears at the final whistle, having done their nation proud, with coach Dean Thomas particularly emotional.
“It was a tremendous match and an outstanding advert for rugby league” he said. “The show that these two nations put on has been one of the best feelings of my life.
“We controlled large aspects of the game but let them back into it but I’m immensely proud, for 80 minutes we never stopped working for each other.
“It means so much to me to see all these Jamaicans from different backgrounds pulling together.”
AMNRL President and Tomahawks coach David Niu was equally effusive about the encounter. “I knew we were in a battle,” he commented.
“For a moment in the first half I thought we’d lost it but we dug in and that tells me something about the group of players.
“The revival began with our left side starting to evolve and then we competed as a team. This game represents an opportunity for the sport in the region.
"We won this arm wrestle but we could just as easily have lost it.”
