The USA Tomahawks have taken the first leg of the Colonial Cup, hanging on for a 24-28 victory.  

The Tomahawks led 16-0 at halftime and survived a rampant Wolverines' second half to take the victory. The match started out with a lot of toing and froing, with both sides struggling to keep hold of the ball in the damp weather.  

It wasn't until the 20th minute that the deadlock was broken. Sean Taylor crossing over for the USA, with Todd Fisher slotting the conversion.  

This seemed to give the Americans confidence and they struck again soon after. Whilst pressing deep in the Canadian zone, the Wolverines were penalized for a high tackle.  Fisher showing his skill with the boot, made quick work of the opportunity, giving the US an 8-0 lead.  

Two more unconverted tries from Dustin Umeda and Matt Walsh gave the Tomahawks a commanding 16-0 lead going into the break.  

At the restart however the Wolverines showed a lot of heart, and were on the front foot from the onset. A period of sustained pressure ended with Jamie Lester chipping into goal.  The ball caught the US off guard and Tony "The Cat" Felix was able to pounce, touching down in the corner. Louis Robinson missed the extras from the touchline making the score 16-4.  

This turn of fortune seemed to inspire the Canadians and they were soon celebrating again when the pride of British Columbia, Chris Chalmers, crossed over for Canada. Louis Robinson was successful in converting a difficult kick and the Wolverines were now behind 16-10.  

Geoff Bylund then crossed over finishing a strong move from the Wolverines, making the score 16-14. With momentum now with the Wolverines the crowd was electric. The Tomahawks then struck back when Dustin Umeda raced 40 metres and crossed over behind the posts. Fisher added the extras making it 22-14.  

The result seemed a foregone conclusion when Todd Fisher crossed over for the US and then added the extras himself, giving the Tomahawks a 28-14 lead.  

The Wolverines spurred on by a Canadian 4000 strong crowd in full voice, began chipping away at the lead in the last 10 minutes. Centre Geoff Bylund scored two more tries, one converted by Robinson.  

The Bylund treble being the first ever Hat-Trick scored by a Canadian in an international match. Canada came close to another in the dying moments but it wasn't enough as they fell 24-28 to the USA.   

It was announced during the match that the Colonial Cup Series will be now be known as the 1812 Cup to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Game two of the series will take place on September 22nd, at Varsity Stadium in Fairfield, Connecticut.

The USA have a 4 point advantage, only time will tell if Canada can overturn this and take their first ever victory on Canadian soil.

Canada
Robin Legault, Jared Curry, Geoff Bylund, Christian Miller, Tony Felix, Matt Wyles, Jamie Lester, Keegan Watcham-Roy, Graham Dobbs, Louis Robinson, Cam Grace, Henry Miers, Chris Chalmers, Matt Pettie, Mike Thorne, John Felix, Enoch Wamalwa

USA
Fitz James Adams, Dennis Schmieler, Louis Tulio, Gareth Baxendale, Dustin Umeda, Luke Collins, Todd Fisher, Bryan Confer, Matt Walsh (c), Justin Ripley, Curtis Cunz, John Dykeman, Sean Taylor, Mike Schachter, Ben Sadgrove, Alejandro Valentin, Kelly McGill