Tamworth picked up where they left off against Barbarians on Saturday to swoop in and snatch the remaining spot in the New England finals.
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Needing to beat Robb College to finish fourth, the Magpies locked in a minor semi-final match-up with Armidale next Sunday, 41-20.
"We played really well," coach Damian Henry said.
Other than a little lapse just before half-time, he thought they controlled the game well, the forwards really setting the tone.
"Our scrum absolutely dominated them, we pushed them all over the park in the scrum, which was good," he said.
"And our lineout was good.
"Everything just sort of stuck on Saturday."
Beaten in both of their previous meetings with the students, Henry said their attitude was probably the biggest difference.
Importantly too they started "pretty well". Having not played for two weeks, that was a bit of a concern for him.
Winless until Round 9 (excluding their forfeit from St Albert's), he said he never doubted they could get there.
"I always knew we had the players, it was just a matter of getting them on the right page at the right time," he said.
Although he joked he wouldn't wish "to do that again", referring to the fact that it came down to the last game. Last two in fact. The win over Baa Baas gave them a shot.
"We said to ourselves [before the Barbarians game] we had to win five games in the next six weeks," he said.
"We've won two, we've got another three to go now."
Plucked from third grade to play seven in the absence of Charlie Sorensen, Alastair Doyle was the Magpies best on Saturday.
"He absolutely dominated their lineout," Henry said.
"I don't know how many balls he stole or disrupted on their lineout."
"And he kept everyone focused."
Explaining the decision to bring him up from third grade rather than elevate someone from second grade, he said it was part that they didn't want to disrupt second grade and part they wanted his "niggle".
"We only wanted 40 minutes out of him and we got a full game out of him," he said.
Five-eighth Liam Allan picked up the two points with prop Harry Mills and blindside breakaway Brock Bayes sharing the one.
"He controlled things really well and got us on the front foot and his kicking game got around the park so that was good," Henry said of Allan's performance.
The win means all four Magpies sides will play finals.
Second and third grade will play in the major semi-finals on Saturday and the women and first grade Sunday's minor semi-finals.
Semi-finals draw
Major Semi Final - Saturday 26th August Bellevue Oval UNE Armidale
3pm 1st grade - Albies V Barbarians
1.45 pm Women's 10's - Albies V Barbarians
12.10pm 2nd grade - Tamworth V Albies
10.40am 3rd grade - Albies V Tamworth
Minor Semi Finals - Sunday 27th August Moran Oval Armidale
3pm 1st grade - Armidale Blues V Tamworth
1.45 pm Women's 10's Tamworth V Glen Innes
12.10pm 2nd grade - Glen Innes V Armidale Blues
10.40am 3rd grade - Barbarians V Tenterfield
