Glenwood and Westville combined to produce a wonderful advert for schoolboy rugby during the Port Natal Night Series Round-4 match which Glenwood won 14-7. The score-line was academic really. The fast paced rugby was a pleasure to watch.
At the collisions and breakdowns, the team defending came out on top nine times out of ten. The determination and impact of tacklers and first arriving defensive support players was evident throughout the game. As a result there were numerous turnovers and continuity was hard to come by. Certainly both teams will be focusing extra attention on ball retention amongst the forwards before next Friday’s probable rematch in the final of this year’s Port Natal Night Series.
Westville’s big pack gave them ascendency and with it came territorial advantage in the first half. Prop turned hooker Christopher Klopper struggled with his lineout work and this added to Glenwood’s pressure. Westville turned down a few kickable opportunities in the first half to set up lineouts instead. One of them even went badly wrong when their kick for the corner was overcooked.
Glenwood centre Ruan van Rensburg sparked the first real linebreak of the match thanks to a neat movement that got him past his marker. However the first really memorable moment of the match came when Ville flank Devon Muller collected what appeared to be a useful deep clearance kick by Glenwood fullback Jayden Morgan. Muller fed his headboy/captain/fullback Shane Ball who set off on an amazing long run that saw he evade tackles and come very close to scoring a try some 60m further up the field. Ball would have another really good carry later on during the match in what turned out to be an eye-catching performance.
Glenwood’s Craven Week wing Ulunga Mukendi was the end recipient of flowing line movement to the left which started well inside their own half and he also came close to opening the score before Westville got relief via a holding penalty near their own line. The Glenwood pacy backs also made good use of kick-aheads as part of a variation to the style people are accustomed to seeing them play.
The opening try had x-factor written all over it. Glenwood flyhalf (and 1st XV cricket captain) Jerome Bossr who played this game with confidence and authority, stood out for his willingness to take control and his well-timed kicks out of hand, misdirected a pass that had his teammates scrambling back under pressure to retrieve the ball and reconcile their own redzone position. Under threat they managed to thread the ball through a few sets of hands until it found its way back to Bossr now out on the right wing on his 22m line. The youngster’s execution from that point onwards was perfect. He assessed the situation, toed ahead and past the cover D. Here the ball stood up for him to regather it, now in behind the defensive line from where he carry it up to create a two-on-one situation, then draw and pass inside to speedy outside centre Donny Du Randt, who finished it with a five-pointer. Bossr added the conversion. 7-0 Glenwood.
Westville responded with redzone pressure. One of the youngsters who’s been standing out all tournament long has been Ville hooker Hendrik Prinsloo. In the most controversial play of the match, he easily found his jumper near the back of an attacking lineout. Westville formed what appeared to be an unstoppable driving maul and it looked like flanker Keegan Nicolson had dived over for a try. The ref however didn’t award it and instead gave Westville a put-in to an attacking scrum 5.
7-0 at halftime and soon after the break Glenwood doubled their advantage. Glenwood used passes to work towards the Westville 22. Here Bossr again relied on his clever footwork. This time a dink over the top and collect out the air almost saw the playmaker get in for the try. He was brought down short but the damage was done and solidly built lock Jarron Weideman crashed over. Bossr added 2 extras to make it 14-0.
Westville then went in search of meaningful front-foot ball and found it. All the good work was however undone when a golden opportunity to exploit an overlap on the right in a position well inside the Glenwood half sailed behind heads and into touch as prop Jordan Els’s pass to players in space had the right intention but not the right direction to back it up.
A few minutes later there were some Ville celebrations near the left corner as wing Siphalele Mhlamvu looked to have crossed the line and scored but the assistant ref’s flag was up for foot-in-touch. No try.
Then Glenwood had a couple of chances to extend the lead. Wing GJ Lubbe had shown a clean pair of heels and plenty of desire to beat his man on the outside on several occasions during the match. It was however his well-placed kick ahead that had Ville in all sorts of trouble at the back. They eventually conceded a 5m scrum but at a stage it looked like it there could have been worse outcome. Then from a turnover earlier try-scorer Du Randt accelerated into a hole on an inside line. It was only a super tackle from behind by Mhlamvu that saved the day for Ville.
The final try was a gem. Westville won a penalty right under their own sticks. Scrumhalf Bryce Kitching took a quick tap and set off to his right lock JP Pelser did ever so well to produce enough gas to get on the outside of his man before setting James Wheeler off on a superb run down the right. Wheeler showed good pace to beat the immediate cover tackler’s effort. The best was yet to come though. While at full tilt, the centre who had moved to right wing timed his powerful hand-off to the chest area of last line defender to perfection, which cleared the path to the tryline. Kitching converted.
14-7 to Glenwood is how it ended.
There were a few quality issues along the way but from an entertainment point of view, this game is going to be hard to beat during the KZN local season. Well done to both teams. The game was played with passion but also in a good spirit. Excellent example set.
@Buffel: Beershack sounds like a plan, I will keep my eye on things down here and keep you updated on things. They’re gonna have a very good side and with Kempo at the helm, expect good things. They also have quite depth
@umbiloburger: @GreenBlooded: Vories NS for College on 27/2 and 06/03. Opponents to be confirmed. However no Kearsney or Westville at Vories this year, so it should amount to two comfortable win warm-up games for MC ahead of their N. Free State tour.
@umbiloburger:
Not sure – normally Voortrekker Night Series which must be starting quite soon?
@beet: The right wing will be Lubbe with Mukendi and Morgan. Van Rensburg for me is the key. He has so much flare and he works best next to duRandt…..and I think the reciprocal is true to. Watch out for the baby van Rensburg. He is the U16A fly half. He is brilliant.@GreenBlooded: When does College play their 1St match?
@beet: Thanks Beet I understand now what
you are trying to say with your comment.
@star: We on. I think KC under pressure against all 3. Going to be interesting Mr.M Hope your boy gets better soon.
@Ludz: Thanks Ludz . You will be my eyes and ears down there. Must catch up when I come down and grab a cold one at the Beer Shack. Glad that they had a good practice game- He says that they will be force to be reckoned with and hopefully will notch up a few wins under Robbie . Play- off’s beckon. I think that they will gel and then you will see their true potential. A mobile pack with talent in the backs leads to points on the board. Go Madibaz.
@RUGBYMAD: I picked a Glenwood backline in the morning before the game and the only position I could not decide on was right wing. I had the centre combo right but I know from watching previous games I know there is a 3rd centre in the mix. That’s why I wanted to leave that door open. Not to undermine the performances of the incumbents but to suggest that others could still play their way into the starting line-up for the regular season
@Buffel: Are we still on for the trifecta? A case of beers will not go amiss. For the Hilton game only the first one to count.
Xaba for example is small but what a player!
Beet, do you feel the right wing and the one centre did not match up….or do you have a list of potential 1st team players for each school, and therefore you exclude them from the backline? ( refering to your comment about Glenwood’s backline)
I know size isn’t everything but that Ville pack must be well over 800kg. It’s a rare year that a Glenwood pack is dwarfed, but times are changing. Glenwood never used to have good backlines now they do..
@Buffel: I was watching your little man yesterday in a practice game for the NMMU Young Guns, looked good, a little rusty, but for the most part looked very sharp.
Was there and yes, very entertaining. The pace was hectic and I think if ville had slowed things down, that would have put the Glenwood pack under pressure, brought their defenders in and then attacked out wide . Slow poison for three quarters of the match then let the backline loose. Anyway, that is the way we used to do it at Collegians- but that was a few years back and things have changed. The ville pack were dominant in the set pieces and Glenwood exciting in the backs. A great early advert and I think that the privates have an uphill battle this year.
ney then I am afraid my alma mater comes first.
Am finding it a little odd not having my boy playing but have a vested interest in the Westville side and will be throwing my lot in with them this year- until they play Kears
@BiasedDHSDad: Yes, same player. He is U18 and should be in matric, unless they held him back last year.
Is that the same Kevin Smit who was at Westville?
What grade is he in … matric?
@Grasshopper: Dunno. He played all 3 games before this one so perhaps rested or predetermined squad rotation or maybe even a niggle.
@beet: Do you think they rested Kevin Smit so to keep the on field antics calmer?
Both teams looked very close to full strength.
The Glenwood backline with the exception of right wing and one centre who did not play sort of picks itself.
Westville still needs to experiment with the backline and did so during the 2nd half of this game. It also looked like they were forced to make a injury change at centre.
It’s the other way around in the packs. Westville look to have settled on their first choice combo.
For Glenwood Kevin Smit who has been playing well was the notable absentee. So decisions to be made in the backrow which may affect the secondrow and in the frontrow where Klopper is a mobile and good ball carrying prop but a WIP as hooker, while the replacement hooker looked like a good lineout ball thrower.
Glad to hear the game was played in a sportsman like manner. Just amazed at the size of the Westville pack, where did they get those kids from. I see Horack is back at Glenwood, he looks a good lump of meat that too…
@GreenBlooded: I think the GW backline definitely had a first choice/settled feel about it. I think Bossr, Morgan and Mukendi played the whole game in their respective positions. The same could be said for the center combination who seem to have some history together. Westville were the complete opposite. I may be wrong but only Kitching was the constant with the F/H moving to F/B, F/B to wing, center to wing ect. I hope the experimentation reaps the desired results and the team will be settled come the start of the season proper.
After all the previous games at Porties – this game was a blinder of note
The Westville Gwd game on Dixons in May (I think) will be epic – somehow I don’t think home ground advantage will help Gwd too much
Westville will be a force to reckon with countrywide – I still remember that Westville/Grey College game at Kerf last year – probably the best SBR try I have ever seen
To all those who didn’t pitch last nite the “Final” should be next Friday
do your self a favor and arrive
@Grasshopper: You will be pleased to know Palvie had a run last night in the 2nd half.
I have links with many of the boys from both teams through the years of club and school rugby. I recently had a look at some of these boys in their U14 rugby year and its quite amazing how some of them have changed.
I loved the face pace of the game – even though my camera really does battle to keep up with the combination of inadequate lighting and the speed these boys run.
I no Glenwood is still testing a few combinations out. But I feel that the center combination between Ruan and Donovan is working well ,you could see that
they no each other very well and not to talk about their speed. Ruan for me had a good game on defence and had a few good runs .
Were these full strength teams?
Sounded like a great game Beet, wish I could have been there. Looking at Cyndi’s pics online the Westville pack looks massive! So I’m guessing the Glenwood pack just held Westville and the backs did the rest. I know it’s a warm-up but bodes well for both schools this season. Still think Palvie will be missed massively. Who was your man of the match on both teams?
Very entertaining game. There were a few areas for Westville to work on from a defensive perspective. Their line speed and inability to pull across resulted in a porous outside channel. Also the lack of cover defence was easily exploited by Bossr. At one stage I think it was the hooker who was the last line at the back. Finally there were too many isolated runs which were comfortably turned over. Support play at this level is vital. On the positive side the set piece functioned well and the structured play created enough red zone opportunities. Credit must be given to GW for their defensive determination and ability to seize the moment when it was presented. The Westville 7 Muller caught my eye for his overall work rate.