the hardest lessons of all.

With certain victory slipping away in the last moments of a suddenly exciting game, Teachers' players and supporters groaned a sharp, in-drawn breath as they watched Police come alive by playing gritty, in-your-face rugby and then going on to register an entirely unexpected 17-14 come-from-behind victory.

What Teachers should have done was watch the afternoon's first match and witness Renegades, an obvious stronger team, survive a scare from the lowly Mariners and secure a 25-15 triumph in a textbook case of a stronger team pulling together to prevent a weaker one from ruling the day.

It added up to an entertaining afternoon of rugby as the underdogs set the pace. First-place Renegades almost lost to third-place Mariners after leading 15-3 until late in the first half.

Mariners came alive after a wonderful run by Huw Spiers to pull them to within seven points. Mariners carried that momentum into the second half scoring early and knotting the game at 15-15 on John O'Kelly Lynch's sprint for the five-pointer. Mike Gorman connected on the two-point conversion.

With Teachers far and away the better team at National Sports Club, it was Colin Lunn, a banker by trade, who helped cash in the victory for Police on the strength of his 17 points.

Scott Correia was voted player of the day for his ball-carrying and 10 points.

Correia settled into a blissful lagoon of competition, shining as brightly as the afternoon sun during First Division league action.

Renegades and Mariners traded three-point penalty kicks in the early going with Phil Heaney connecting for Renegades and then Mike Gorman booting the ball for Mariners through the uprights.

The game featured excellent tackling and kicking from both sides.

With Renegade team-mates putting the heat on each other for lacklustre play, Dave Taylor inched the ball towards Mariners' line. Centre Steve Everest finally succeeded and scored from scrum on a perfect pass from Barry Whitehead for 10-3 lead. Heaney followed with two-point conversion.

Renegades scored again, in command with a 15-3 lead, when Phil Heaney picked up the ball after Mariners coughed it up. Heaney was good on a two-point conversion seconds later. Mariners got the crowd revved up in the final minutes of the half with wing Spiers' nifty move on a switch pass from full-back Gavin Corcoran to make the score 15-8. Gorman failed to convert, but Spiers' run was easily the play of the game going into half-time.

Mariners tied game 15-15 early in the second half with O'Kelly Lynch's score followed by Mike Gorman's conversion.

Dave Taylor scored the winner late in half when he barrelled through the line untouched. Heaney connected on a three-point penalty kick late in the half for the 25-15 victory.

Tempers flared on both sides in the second game after Teachers pulled into a 7-0 lead after Scott Correia fed the ball to Alvin Harvey with a perfect pass.

Andre Simons' conversion was good but attention was focussed on the field as Police's John Harris lay prone on field for several minutes after being roughed up.

Frustration grew for Teachers when Richard Raistrick missed a sure try late in the half. Simons then missed a three-point penalty kick by just inches with eight sure points disappearing, points that were needed later on.

Correia helped make the score 12-0 in the second half with a memorable pass to Ron Hook who dumped it back to Correia who shovelled it to Harvey. Simons' conversion was good after the ball smashed the right upright before falling in.

Police scored 20 minutes into the second half when Gary Osborne, playing his last game, was stopped but Lunn smartly picked up the ball and ran in for the score. Lunn's conversion made score 14-7.

Hard work by Police paid off with Lunn's power run to make the score 14-12.

Lunn's conversion tied the game.

The game's most dramatic moment then occurred as Lunn's penalty soared through for the win.