Attica Springboks booked their place in the final of this year's championship with a hard-earned 27-0 win over Thessaloniki Lions on Saturday.

Greece international fly-half Alexandros Gounaris provided the spark with three tries, the others coming from Korean centre Jineuk Yi and veteran French wing Laurent Agostini.

Conditions at a water-logged Glyka Nera proved extremely awkward for both teams with handling errors much in evidence.

Both sides also showed a naivety about playing in such wet conditions, attempting to play expansive rugby and ignoring the traditional values of getting the forwards to stick the ball up their jumper and the number ten kicking to the corners and turning the defence.

Attica worked it out while Lions didn't which pretty much decided the outcome and provided ample revenge for Attica for their 50-7 mauling in Thessaloniki earlier in the season.

Attica, playing into the wind, missed an early chance to put points on the board when lock Jean-Michel Hieronymous tapped and went on a loan charge when he might have been better advised handing the ball to goal-kicker Nathan Courcelle.

Lions had a couple of chances also as they worked their way downfield but they lacked the incisive edge to work the space for a try.

The breakthrough came five minutes before half-time when Attica counterattacked after a poor clearing kick from Lions. Inside centre Nondas Serafeim punched a hole down the left side of the 22 before offloading to Yi who charged through for the try.

Unfortunately, Yi blotted his copybook with a pointless charge across the field to get involved in a potential dust-up. Referee Georgos Kaloxilos showed him the yellow card; other referees might not have been so lenient so Yi can count himself lucky that he is not ruled out of next Saturday's final.

One man who is ruled out of the final - and in all kikelihook out of Greece's next international against Bulgaria next month - is prop Eden Tipenee who staggered off the field with a dislocated shoulder.

In the second half, Attica took control, mainly because the experienced Hieronymous imposed himself on the game, dominating the forwards, producing a series of powerful charges and setting up the mauls and rucks that allowed the Attica forwards to take charge.

Five minutes into the second half the game was all but over. First Gounaris, in the 42nd minute, showed some pace down the left and producing a late shimmy to buy some space that saw him slide in in the corner.

The conversion went astray - Courcelle managed just one from five on a windy day - but three minutes later Attica collected their third try. This time, Hieronymous punched through the middle, Gounaris made space down the left before flipping the ball back for Agostini to claim the points.

Try number four came just after the hour. Gounaris collected a poor pass by his feet and sent the ball out right. Wing Paul Kolyvas made a great break down the touchline before feding the ball back inside. The move swung left and Gounaris finished it off.

His third try came eight minutes from time when Serafeim broke the line and a weary Lions defence was unable to prevent the coup de grace.