Leading for large portions of the match it was the Reds’ forwards who propelled them bodily into a meeting with Munster A in what will be the Islanders’ first-ever British and Irish Cup final in three weeks time.
Led by the direct and committed running of Australian Nick Haining the pack slowly won the battle of attrition, finishing the match 25-17 ahead and the undisputed masters of the set-piece.
‘Semi final rugby is all about pressure . . . it doesn’t matter if you win by ten or one point, you just need to get to that final,’ said head coach Harvey Biljon.
‘I think the team felt that if they could get into the right areas of the field they could turn the pressure into points and thankfully they did, albeit there were probably a couple of emotional moments for supporters, coaches and the team when they missed a few of those shots.
‘It’s immense credit to the players and the backroom staff – it was a real team performance. We didn’t play particularly well – but we got there.’
Full report and reaction in Monday’s JEP.
