Valley Hunters book third consecutive decider

The SWG TSI Valley Hunters secured their third straight grand final after thrashing the Kramer APAC Brothers with a 41-16 win in the Pepsi Capital Rugby Union (CRU) Men’s Premier Grade Grand Final Qualifier on Saturday, 19 September 2026, at Bava Park.

Valley Hunters and Brothers ended the regular season with a thrilling finish last weekend (September 12th), with the Valley men stealing the win from the brethren in the shadows of full-time and setting up a fiery clash in the grand final qualifier.

The SWG TSI-sponsored club continued its red-hot form against the Brothers, scoring four unconverted tries in the first half, while the men in black bagged one try and two penalty goals to trail the eventual winners 20-11 at halftime.

After the break, the Valley Hunters ran rings around the Brothers. They brought them to submission, registering three additional converted tries, while the Brothers scored a consolation try, losing heavily to the reigning champions.  

Coach Frank Genia was impressed with his men’s dominant performance: “I’m happy that the boys have earned the right to play in the grand final this year.”

Leading by 9 points at the breather, Genia gave a simple instruction, telling the players to execute their game plan in the second half.

“The halftime talk was more around what we are seeing, and how to adapt to the game flow, whilst maintaining focus on our policies and where we were creating opportunities,” he said.

The coach added that there’s still room for improvement, especially in the key areas, which they will fine-tune during the week ahead of the decider.

“I didn't think we worked hard enough or executed in patches, which left opportunities for the Brothers to build some momentum,” he admitted.

“So, we will look at it this week and refine some key areas around our game to improve. We look to control momentum when we are on the other side of the ball.”

Despite winning back-to-back CRU titles, Genia said they will not get ahead of themselves, mentioning that the team focuses on taking one game at a time.

“Our focus and mentality is that in 2024 and 2025, there were different groups, and in the past. It’s history, and we don’t dwell in it,” he noted.

“This year, we have a new group, and we are focusing on enjoying the lead-up and preparation work.”

Since taking over the coaching role in 2024, Genia has turned the Valley Hunters into premiership heavyweights, winning consecutive titles and slowly building a dynasty.

“The key was identifying our purpose and staying true to that,” he commented regarding the Valley Hunters’ metamorphosis in three years.  

“On the field, it's about continuous evolution of our game and building capacity and skill sets to play the style we know we are capable of.

“And, of course, integrating the system into our purpose and staying motivated to keep learning.” 

The Valley Hunters marched to the big dance, while the Brothers will square off against their arch-rivals, the Harlequins, in the preliminary final this weekend. The winner will meet the Valley Hunters in the grand final.