With the scores tied at 17-17, Country’s Tamworth-based winger Ben Coombes found space down the right side to add five points in the final play of the game, taking the full-time score to 22-17.

Country coach Carl Emerton said he and co-coach Peter Sarroff could not have been happier with how their side broke the Waratah’s reign at Marcellin Park.

“The boys were just ecstatic; Peter and I were ecstatic too,” he said.

“That try made it a very sweet victory.

“In other situations like that in past years we have struggled to stay in on top of them.

“But we managed to lead for most of the game and the boys just didn’t give in.

“I think that was the difference this time, the boys never gave up.”

But the win came at a cost for Country, with the loss of Blacks first grade five-eighth Jack Howard.

Howard went down with an ankle injury in the first five minutes and was taken to hospital.

Pending recovery from his ankle injury, he will tour with his Country side to Argentina in November.

By all reports it was not just the coaches that were impressed by the talent on Marcellin Park yesterday.

Sydney clubs, University and Norths had a presence in the healthy Marcellin Park crowd as scouts looked to tap into NSW’s best metropolitan and rural-based talent.

But the accolades were officially handed out on Saturday night at the NSW Junior Country Rugby Union awards dinner at Maitland City Leagues Club.

The Black’s own James Johnston walked away with the NSW Country Player of the Year award.

Johnston was plucked from his under-17s Country side to join the Waratahs last month, after a stand-out performance against City in Sydney.

Johnston played blind-side flanker along with Blacks team-mate and number eight Michael Howell yesterday, starring for the NSW losing forward pack.

Country’s maiden victory in the main game was part of a clean sweep for the black and gold yesterday.

In the other three games that made up the Wizz Golledge Day program NSW Country under-14s were too good for the Blacks invitational 14/15s, NSW Country under-15s edged out the Blacks invitational under-16s by two points while NSW Country under-16’s made short work of the Blacks invitational under-17s.