THE multi-coloured, multi-national and multi-talented Aliens invaded the Carlsberg 10-a-side tournament in take-no-prisoners mood yesterday and easily lifted the title in front of a 3,000 Sports Road crowd.
Aliens, a team of Japan-based rugby globetrotters from New Zealand, Canada, Australia and a lone Englishman, rampaged past White Hart Marauders 24-12 in a one-sided final.
The presence of British Lions Dewi Morris and Jeremy Guscott of England and Welshman Richard Webster was not enough to keep Marauders in the hunt as the opposition tackled them to a standstill and scored three superb tries.
It was no-nonsense Kiwi style rugby with former All Black Kevin Schuler and New Zealand Sevens specialist Scott Pierce leading the charge ably backed by Canadian internationals Glenn Ennis and Edward Evans.
''We picked it up as we went along - most of our training before we came here was in the bars of Tokyo,'' said Pierce with a smile. ''We got enough possession to play the game we wanted. Personally, it cannot make up for not being part of the New Zealand Sevens team this year but it's been good fun and it's great to win.'' The crowd, who had anticipated a closer final, gave the Aliens a bit of stick for kicking two penalties rather than running the ball, with the score at 21-0 and then 24-0, but Pierce defended the decision.
''The first one took us more than three converted tries ahead and we went for the second (which was missed) because we were exhausted by then,'' he said.