TOKOMARU Bay man Hakarangi Tichborne, former Wairoa College student Zane Douglas and the New Zealand Defence Force rugby team have made a winning start to the International Defence Rugby Competition.
They beat the Australian Defence Force 47-35 in Japan on Sunday.
Tichborne is a captain in the New Zealand Army
and plays at prop for Ngati Porou East Coast.
Douglas is an able diver in the New Zealand Navy and is a midfielder in the NZDF side, known as the Defence Blacks.
The teams were level at 14-all at halftime but the Defence Blacks pulled clear to lead 47-21 with 10 minutes to go, then withstood a late flurry by the Australians.
