Harlequins hold off Brothers to secure Grand Final spot

Harlequins marched to the Grand Final after defeating the Kramer APAC Brothers with a 25-10 margin in the Pepsi Capital Rugby Union (CRU) Men’s Premier Grade Preliminary Final on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at Bava Park.

The Harlequins and Brothers have been arch-rivals over the years, with both teams dominating the CRU competition for many years before the Valley Hunters became a force to be reckoned with in the last two seasons. 

The CRU arch nemesis exchanged emotions and high energy in the first half. The Harlequins scored three unconverted tries, while the Brothers crossed over the line twice, with the jokers leading 15-10 at the interval.

After the breather, the Harlequins switched on to defensive mode and kept the Brothers scoreless. The jesters of Bava Park scored one converted try and a penalty kick to end the brethren’s hopes of reaching the decider.

Harlequins coach Billy Rapilla said they had gone through a mourning period following the passing of the club’s junior player, expressing mixed emotions and dedicating the win to the fallen star.

“I’m very happy with the win, but it’s a sad day for us. We lost one of our juniors, an up-and-coming player, who is always here running our water and tee. He was a real club person. The boys played with their hearts and dedicated the win to him,” Rapilla expressed.

“The guys played spiritedly, but at the same time, it took away our excitement. We had to deal with the loss of the player this week, but I’m very happy with the victory and look forward to the grand final.” 

Coach Rapilla said going up against the back-to-back CRU premiers, the Valley Hunters, will be challenging, but he expected his men to rise to the occasion and stop the red-hot Frank Genia-coached side.

“They (Valley Hunters) are two-time premiers. They are very experienced, big, and know how to handle pressure, so there’s something we have to work on to handle pressure,” Rapilla explained. 

“We did it in patches today (on Saturday), but shot ourselves in the foot a lot of times. We did not take our chances when we had a lot of possessions and territory. That goes back to experience, and we will work on that.

“Regardless of how many times we’ve been there, this group is new to the grand final scene, and we are playing a very strong team who have experience all across the park, and two years of premierships under their belts. 

“We will just take one game at a time. We will not get ahead of ourselves, but when the day (grand final) comes, we will be ready to compete.” 

While crediting the players, coach Rapilla singled out the Nipal and Singoina brothers, including Eddie, Caleb, Philip, and Tommy, who have been the club’s stronghold not only for this season but also over the years.

Additionally, the Harlequins have ended the Brothers’ nine consecutive grand final appearances. The Harlies will meet the Valley Hunters in the CRU Grand Final for the first time, and aim to snap their four-year title drought.