Excelsior took its chances and packed down for another scrum.
It worked so well for Blues moments before, and trailing by three with less than a minute to go — with burly Old Boys No8 Junior Fakatoufifita in the bin — it seemed like the best option with the game in the balance.
All that stood in their way were seven determined Old Boys forwards, who stood up, putting in a big shift to bring Blues’ front row to their knees and keep their finals hopes alive.
The 20-17 victory handed Old Boys its fourth win of the season to remain in the hunt for the Citizens Shield playoffs.
It was a disappointing end for Blues, who had most of the momentum in the final minutes.
It was a messy game, filled with forward passes, knock-ons and crooked lineouts, and neither team managed to create any flow.
Blues got off to a flying start when first five Tyron Davies stole the ball and bolted 40m down the field at Whitestone Contracting Stadium.
He linked with fullback Josh Phipps, who put centre Matia Qiolevu over for a 7-0 lead.
Old Boys hit back when a Blues knock-on 10m out from their line was scooped up by lock Alexandre Rougier, who scored under the sticks to level the scores.
Ever-reliable halfback Tini Feke scored his first of the day soon after to push Old Boys out to 12-7.
When Old Boys first five Tom Lee was sent to the bin, Blues failed to make the most of their opposition being down to 14.
Feke scored his second try two minutes into the second half, after strong carries from captain Kelepi Funaki and Sailosi Vea, to give Old Boys a 10-point lead.
More handling errors crept in, and a little niggle, before Blues finally gained some momentum when Davies side-stepped two defenders to close the gap to 17-14.
Blues grabbed a penalty minutes later to make it 17-17.
But Excelsior was then penalised for a high tackle, and Lee banged over what turned out to be the winner for Old Boys.
Old Boys will be glad to get some much-needed points on the board, but it was a game of missed opportunities for both sides.
Top-of-the-table Valley sent another statement, beating Athletic Marist 27-0 in Weston. Valley remains unbeaten, notching up its ninth win of the season.
Kurow continues to come home with a wet sail, beating Maheno 41-31. The defending champion had a rocky start to the competition, but has hit some hot form at the right time of the season with the round robin wrapping up next week.
