Gareth Jenkinson and the Natal Witness Newspaper please do not copy and/or pass this article off as your own work
Michaelhouse broke a decade long rugby drought against Glenwood thanks to an inspired 18-13 home win on Saturday 21 March. In a heart stopping finish on Meadows field in Balgowan the result was decided by a Frank Goble try just 4-minutes from time followed up by stubborn defence to keep Glenwood from replying with a try of their own at the death. It was perhaps not what the doctor would have ordered for the nervous system but definitely an awesome game of schoolboy rugby for all in attendance to enjoy.
Michaelhouse started well. A strong line-breaking carry up the middle by centre Luke Tomlinson as part of a skilful co-ordinated move formed the catalyst for flyhalf and captain Bader Pretorius to land a drop goal from close range in the 3rd minute.
At 3-0 up House then did not control the situation from the kick-off and Glenwood regained possession. The visitors showed some rare patient build-up ability and their centres Ruan van Rensburg and Donny du Randt took turns on either side of the 22m area to hurt the home team’s defensive structure, as part of the attacking period. The reward was a Glenwood try scored by wing Lunga Mukendi in the left corner, after the elusive Du Randt had made the opening by beating two would-be tacklers.
The Green Machine’s hero of the day flyhalf Jerome Bossr then slotted the difficult conversion, a first of many things he would make look effortless during his almost textbook performance. His ability to sum up situations and make the correct run-kick-pass decisions were of a high standard and his kicking out of hand, particularly exiting which saved Glenwood on a number of occasions, was top notch.
Leading 7-3, Glenwood were themselves then guilty of not securing possession at the very next kick-off. Michaelhouse punished them for this error, part of the damage being done by the tenacious and busy flank Zander Prinsloo, who refused to go to ground without a fight, causing Glenwood forwards to focus extra attention at the contact zone when they needed to fan out and protect the midfield. Here flyhalf Pretorius and House’s star of the first half, fullback Liam Furniss exploited the space with well-timed linking. Pretorius’ flat skip pass put the fast moving fullback who’d picked a perfect line, through a hole, after which he shaped and crucially got goal-line side of the last-last defender on the outside, allowing him to score in the right corner while being tackled. Furniss was a constant threat with ball in hand throughout the match and also kicked well out of hand. The try conversion was unsuccessful but House were back in front at 8-7 in an action packed opening sequence.
It was Michaelhouse’s first competitive game of the season so there a few errors made but by in large they were the more constructive team going forward, playing a brand of attractive rugby built around good forwards and backs roles understanding and some useful interchanges to vary the lines of attack. Captain Pretorius had a quiet game by the high standards he had set last season yet he still managed to account for a few highlights, one of them being a line-break and long run that could have been influenced the scoring had it not been for a outstanding track-back tackle from behind by Glenwood eighthman Marco Palvie, which resulted in a turnover. A bit later a high tackle on Pretorius, allowed him to opt for poles from halfway. The kick came up short.
As far as lineouts were concerned, Glenwood had an inconsistant match but their other set-piece, the scrum worked like a charm, particularly in the first half when loosehead Christopher Klopper was able to get in under his opponent Lee-Marvin Mazibuko. The pressure told. On two separate put-in’s during the half, House conceded penalties in kickable range. Both were close to the touchline, one on the left, the other on the right but it mattered little to Bossr who was timing his kicks very well. He improved to 3 out of 3 from the tee and Glenwood took a 13-8 lead into the break. Also worth mentioning was Glenwood’s improvement at the breakdown, an area of technique (and discipline) that had cost them dearly in their previous match.
Michaelhouse by contrast must have felt they deserved more out of the first half.
Even though Glenwood did not increase their score from 13 during the second half, their use of footballing skills brought them close to scoring tries on two occasions. First from a lineout that did work, a driving maul set the platform for the creative Bossr to chip ahead and collect the ball in the redzone, only to be stopped just short a few metres short of the try-line. Then in the 50th minute Ruan van Rensburg charged forward and also chipped over the top in the same left-hand corner box. His kick bounced unpredictably and had a number of players from both teams competing for it near the Michaelhouse try-line. Glenwood fullback Jayden Morgan eventually beat out the others to dive on the rolling ball in the in-goal area for what looked like a try, only for the referee to call play back for a knock-on by Glenwood just before the try-line. Somewhere in between these plays it’s also worth mentioning that Bossr thread a cleverly disguised and well-weighted little grubber in behind the Michaelhouse backline, turning his opposition and forced them to concede a lineout well inside their territory which Glenwood could not capitalise on due to a poor throw-in.
In the 43th minute, Michaelhouse wing Victor Foster hoofed a long kick up-field into his opposition’s 22m area. A relatively comfortable ball to catch turned into a nightmare for scrumhalf Sibonakaliso Dubazane when he dropped it forward. Soon afterwards House turned that field position gained by the unforced error into points when Pretorius converted his first penalty, reducing Glenwood’s lead to 13-11.
A few minutes later Glenwood infringed at a ruck but Pretorius missed that long shot at goal from the resultant penalty.
Bossr proved he was human 12-minutes from time when he kicked a carried back into the 22m ball directly into touch. The Michaelhouse lineout functioned well during the match. Hooker Matt Wiseman and tall lock Jordan Sinsink-Clee deserved lots of praise for their work. House used the lineout to build a good patient redzone attack, however the effort ended when Foster was dispossessed by his opposite number Gideon Lubbe deep near the Glenwood tryline. Glenwood then profited from a calculated risk which saw their backs spread the ball wide from a position deep inside their own 22m and make it past halfway before Morgan’s intended kick ahead skewed off the side of his boot and directly into touch.
With 10-minutes to go, more good work in the Michaelhouse lineout, allowed for a rolling maul, which Glenwood collapsed. Pretorius missed yet another difficult penalty kick to get his team ahead.
Michaelhouse’s tireless worker Jack Walter tackles well and as the team’s go-to ball-carrier also put his body on the line on offence during this match. The determined flank showed a huge amount of heart and had every reason to be proud of his Michaelhouse player of the match like performance. He played an instrumental role in helping House to regain the lead.
House continued to press using good distribution to aid their attacks. After a few worthy attempts had failed, they came up with an outstanding team try in the 66th minute. It was once again build around the good handling skills but also good support play to recycle ball. The Glenwood defence was up to the task for the most part but go-forward generated the likes of by Jack Walters, No.8 Mulalo Sadiki and Bader Pretorius eventually proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Wing Frank Goble crashed over in the right corner. Pretorius landed the difficult kick and Michaelhouse were up 18-13 with 4-minutes to hold out.
Bossr wasn’t down though. Between himself and the young flank Alex Brummer, who had made some good contributions, they came up with meaningful carries, earning Glenwood a penalty inside the 22m area. No confidence in their lineout saw the Glenwood tap and pop to their charging pack. Then a key moment. Bossr once spotted a gap and ghosted through on an angled run which got him over the white chalk. In his attempt to ground the ball over the try-line, desperate defence by the home side ensured that he was held up. With time virtually up Glenwood attacked again from the 5m scrum but this time the Michaelhouse defence had the better of them and forced a knock-on in a big collision.
Final score 18-13. A fantastic finish to a fantastic game.
@Far Meadows: I have started coaching at a school this year after some years being involved with club rugby. The players I coach is in Gr 9 and at present do not stand a snowball’s chance in hell to play for the A team.
I do not believe in coaching that prioritizes game plans and patterns over basic skills. I believe this does the kids an injustice.
@Far Meadows: Brilliant article. Absolutely to true about what goes on in our schools.
@Far Meadows: He was awesome!!!! But hats off to AB for standing back too
@Far Meadows: An excellent article, one that should be read by all in schools sports, including Headmasters….wink, wink! It would be interesting to know what schools and/or coaches in KZN schools focus on excellence…..I can name a few that I had that have now been swept aside by ‘younger’ more ‘ambitious’ coaches…
Interested in school sport , check out the link below.
http://changingthegameproject.com/the-enemy-of-excellence-in-youth-sports/
Mini-cricket mistakes, run outs missed, fielders not calling, the fielder running back calling the catch instead of the incoming fielder.
then selection. FFS, who changes a winning side for a semi-final, bringing in someone who has been injured, leaving out the guy who is on song. I could understand if there was clear daylight, such as bringing back a Morkel or Steyn (although that wisdom seems flawed now as well), but were they really expecting Vern to perform that much better that Kyle Abbot?
I’m not that upset actually, I got over that with the Klusener/Donald debacle, but it is frustrating seeing the amateur mistakes at that level. It’s not the players fault necessarily, but they will be kicking themselves for basic mistakes.
Surreal that a Saints OB knocks SA out!
@Vin: That is soooo irritating…. :-(
@akw: and the middle finger to St Stithians…;)
Just a nod of appreciation to Affies as well…. 8)
@Gungets Tuft: Couple of guys i know said they have never seen anyone who could hit a cricket ball harder then he could. if you were in the covers and Miller was batting you didnt even see the ball, you just heard it fizz pass you on the way to the boundary!
@Far Meadows: He’s a brilliant kid, you will go a long way to finding a nicer guy, absolute gent. Now we need to finish it, McCullum is in a terribly grumpy mood.
@Far Meadows: Bowlers are doing their very best to throw it away!
@Gungets Tuft: Thanks to the College Old Boy for giving us a chance in the cricket , what an innings.
@Grasshopper: Ya boet. It’s not mine, the stories in there belong to Tony Wiblin. I did hear whispers that he was considering an update to take the story from 1980 to 2012 to include the full 150 years. Perhaps a lurker (with an admiration for mustaches [he knows who he is]) here will mail me with an update on that. Sawubona Madevu, Unjane … ?
@Gungets Tuft: why don’t you scan it and post online, share the love!
@Dixon’s: Too many Boet. It’s out of print so doesn’t leave my hands by more than about an arms reach. I’m going to mail someone and find out if there’s not a secret stash somewhere, or a sponsor for a reprint. Perhaps a few pots somewhere and you can have a read, it’s not a huge book.
@Far Meadows: how about spending some of next years budget making the bank in front of the Centenary Centre more like a terrace… so that im sitting in my camp chair on a flat piece of ground, this would make pouring and drinking my Old Brown much easier…. just a thought, i still think House is one of the most beautiful campuses around, but the rugby watching experience could be improved upon
@Gungets Tuft: how many beers would it cost me to borrow your copy of Jimeloyo Ji???
@Grasshopper: Partly. I’m going to transcribe what Jimeloyo Ji has to say about House, I think it does a much better job of describing a fine old school. I’ve never successfully hidden my affection for House and the general College respect shows in the way House is described there.
@Gungets Tuft: thanks GT, Google is your friend ;-)
@Grasshopper: http://www.michaelhouse.org/about/history/
@Far Meadows: Are you sure about the levelling of the main oval. I was always told ( maybe urban legend) that one of my family members( a Walter Hudson-Bennett) levelled all the land next to the railway line which resulted in family discounts for that branch for generations.
That must have occurred in the 20’s or 30’s
Is the Witness really plagiarising articles from here without acknowledgment? Shocking from a top newspaper…….
@Far Meadows: Ah cool, thanks guys. The reason I ask is if you look at PBHS, College, KES and Glenwood buildings they all seem to have similar period (early 1900’s) architecture. MHS buildings don’t have that same look and feel at all…
@Grasshopper: Michaelhouse moved up to Balgowan in 1901 ( it started in 1896 in PMB ).
I stand to be corrected , the Chapel was extended to its current size after WW2.
Over the years the buildings have been renovated / enlarged , with some new ones also being added i.e the indoor centre is probable about 10-11
years old now , the music school was built in the 80s and The Centenary Centre ( above the banks on Meadows ) was done for the centenary in 1996.
Michaehouse has been located at their present site since 1901. Before that MHS was housed in PMB. The school was founded in 1896. I stand to be corrected but the Chapel was designed by Sir Herbert Baker. The buildings are older than the school which selects/buys the Grasshopper Invitation XV!
@Far Meadows: Just out of interest has Michaelhouse always been at the Balgowan estate? The buildings & chapel look pretty new to me, no more than 50 years old..
@Gungets Tuft: Camping chairs and Old Brown Sherry ( for the mid winter matches ) is all you need.
I believe that when the main cricket oval was levelled a few years back , one of the few people to comment negatively was a ‘College old boy ( the chap who was a really good fielder ) . You can’t really put a price on history and ambience , can you ?
@Far Meadows: I hope so – it’s part of the character of the place. You get some real gomma-gomma camping chairs now, Cape Union Mart is having a sale at the moment.
@Roger: I’m not Roger, all I do know is quite a few of my Dale mates say KES poached him and others, some from Zim too
@Grasshopper: are you absolutely sure about that Hopper – have you checked your facts
@Dixon’s: Sorry , that’s not going to happen any time soon…this year’s capex budget is being blown on a new waterpolo facilty
.
Sitting on the banks has worked for a hundred years, hopefully it will be like it is for the next hundred.
@Roger: according to the KZN Headmasters agreement it is. Glenwood’s current recruits arrived last year in grade 10. I’m almost sure Scarra arrived later than grade 10 at KES, but KZN rules don’t apply there.
@Grasshopper: I thought recruitment before Grade 10 was legit – to quote someone on this blog
i understand trying to keep the aesthetics of the place as natural as possible…. but please please can ‘House build some flippen stands around Meadows…. watching rugby is such a hassle sometimes.
@Roger: Scarra Ntubeni & Wandile Mjekevu to name just two.
@Gungets Tuft: i tried to bring the discussion back towards something that happened on the field… i failed!
@beet:
pushing that button as hard as i can,just won’t work,not in my nature to accept achievements that aren’t mine,that old QC moto, TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM TO BE.always keeps me real
@Grasshopper: Can anyone else hear that …… I could swear it’s Sonny and Cher singing “I got you babe …” .. all we need is Bill Murray to smash it into submission …
@QC86: KES have never recruited and no school has ever refused to play us – QED
Roger you have just been slapped ,so over to you bud.
@Grasshopper: @QC86: @Roger: Maybe this time we should all reverse roles:
Hopper you now defend Hilton’s position, pointing out that they have been very consistent in their approach.
QC86 you now become a Glenwood sympathizer – remember to use your Hater button – it’s like the turbo button on the old arcade games
@beet: The Glenwood line-out let them down badly, heaping more pressure on themselves. another area that needs work!
@QC86: me neither, it’s pathetic really. Roger, KES have a dodgy past in recruitment from EC, so I wouldn’t start either…
@QC86: but why not – it’s such fun!
Grassy i am not doing this again.
@QC86: ok, so was it ok for Hilton to recruit those Glenwood players?
@Grasshopper: Read the statement 100 times,just a headmaster behaving and saying things like a gentleman.
@QC86: Just to add Hilton was Glenwood’s first traditional fixture in 1915 so Hilton are the ones who walked away from it. For a decade Glenwood got pumped by Hilton sides crammed with Post matrics, they never gave up on the fixture….
@QC86: I do understand that boet, but read their official comment ‘Glenwood are becoming too professional for us’ and remember Hilton poached 2 Glenwood Under16A captains in three years. They certainly are not the ones to be taking the high ground. They also poached a Westville scrumhalf and did some jiggery pokery to get him around the headmasters agreement. Selborne not playing Glenwood is petty to say the least. Bossr’s parents obviously decided they wanted him to move and the school offered him a bursary that is fitting of a boy of his talent….
@Grasshopper: Grassy, Hilton and Selbornes decision not to play GW has nothing to do with winning or losing,when will you understand that
I actually enjoyed Bader’s performance. He works incredibly hard in trainng and I’m pretty sure he will work extra hard now to get the kicking radar working again. All his kicks were difficult. Why I liked his game is because I knew he was the reason MHS beating Glenwood at u16A level but on Saturday he was the ultimate team player and even served as a good decoy at times, knowing his linebreaking ability. When MHS needed him most, he made a vital line-break in the 22m and the metres gained played a big part in the winning try eventually being scored. You get a lot of consistency out of Bader and he should be an SA Schools contender this year. He has a solid all-round game.
Jerome was outstanding on the day but he does seem to still be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Against Kearsney he was in a dip same as the Night Series final. At MHS no one could have asked more from him. Without him I don’t think Glenwood would have been in the game at all. His reading of play is a sight for sore eyes. Goal for him now is to work on consistency. I don’t know enough about him but he might be a bit of a confidence player
Great article, just i dont understand how the Glenwood no10 can have the edge over the MH 10???? A drop , 2try scoring passes couple of penalties,great defence and Captaining his side to there first win over Glenwood in 10yrs??
Well done House, seems Glenwood’s luck over the past few years ran out. Previous years have been 1 pointers in Glenwood’s favour. I do feel this now shows up Hilton’s decision to withdraw from fixtures vs Glenwood. What this shows is the Glenwood side of 2014 was one of their best ever. They put over 50 points on quite a few opponents. Always had great memories of playing at House and been awe struck by the facilities etc. Hopefully this fixture stays in it’s rightful place…
@QC86: Life’s twists and turns indeed. Look forward to seeing the boy and all the other stars in the making at KERF. The festival is starting to take on exciting proportions.
@star: Bossr would have been Selbornes 15 this year,but with him moving it has given another oke a chance, you should have seen how well that new 15 played on Saturday,a star in the making,life and it’s strange twists .
I know it is very early season to be talking CW contenders but the match up between Bossr and Pretorius was an important one. It seems that Bossr had the edge in this game.