SOUTHERN Districts coach Matt Barr has started calling fly-half Ben Volavola ‘‘the Iceman’’ — and with good reason.
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Volavola, 24, stepped up to nail a sideline conversion and cap a stunning 32-31 victory for the Rebels against Northern Suburbs on Back to St George Day at Forshaw Park on Saturday.
Southern Districts trailed 24-3 at half-time but stormed home in front of a vocal crowd of St George Old Boys to claim a thrilling one-point victory.
Outside back Luke Smart crossed out wide in the final stages to give Volavola a chance to win the game from the sideline.
And just as he did a week earlier against Gordon and in last season’s semi-final, Volavola delivered with the boot when it counted.
Barr said it was one of the best comeback wins he had been involved in.
‘‘In my five years here it’s one of the best, if not the best [comebacks], he said.
‘‘Last year in the semi he (Volavola) did the same thing and even last week in the wet against Gordon he stepped up.
‘‘I said afterwards I’ve started call him the Iceman. He’s just so cool under pressure.
‘‘He’s one of our leaders and experienced players.’’
The result was even more special as it fell on Back to St George Day.
‘‘It was special to achieve the win and we had great support,’’ Barr said.
‘‘There were a lot of generations of ex-St George players there supporting us and to do that in front of them was special.’’
Back-to-back wins for Southern Districts has them firmly entrenched in the top four of the Shute Shield.
Barr said while the win would help build momentum towards a tough middle part of the season, the team needed to maintain their level of performance.
‘‘For the most part of the game we lacked a lot of intensity and urgency,’’ he said.
‘‘We were outplayed by Norths but the boys dug deep and found a way.
‘‘We held onto the ball and showed more commitment.
‘‘We’ve got Randwick next week, who we’ve jumped, and going into these next two games before the bye our next month or so is crucial.’’
Southern Districts 32 (tries S. Maumalanga, M. Carbone, L. Smart, A. Latunipulu, R. Williams; goals B. Volavola 2, penalty goal) d Northern Suburbs 31 (tries W. Miller 2, R. Woolf 2; goals J. Kay 4, penalty goal).
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