A fierce red‑weather warning didn’t trouble the Lions one bit. They brushed aside both the blistering heat and their Division One opponents, Culm Vale, to claim a morale‑boosting victory that lifts them back into the top three. A determined, disciplined performance in brutal conditions — and a result that felt all the sweeter for it.

Every other scheduled match was called off due to the extreme weather, leaving the Lions as the only Wellington side able to take advantage of the disrupted Wednesday.