Boishaai beats SACS 30-11 – match report

From SACS:
The South African College High School (SACS) travelled north up the N1 to take on Paarl Boys’ High, who are unbeaten and currently ranked as No. 1 in the country. It was always going to be a big ask and despite throwing everything they had at the hosts the class of the wine farmers and their ability to capitalise on every opportunity meant the hosts won this Inter-schools dress rehearsal 30-11.

SACS lost the match by starting tentatively. Playing into the wind and unable to exit their half they conceded eleven points in the first twelve minutes. Playing away against such quality opposition it was always going to be difficult to come back from there.

Boishaai scored in the sixth minute with a sweeping backline move launched from a scrum wide on the right. SACS should have defended it better but Boishaai managed to get left wing Urgene Johannes into the clear and he finished clinically. Fullback Jeanluc Cilliers missed the conversion from out wide but was on target with two penalties soon after.

SACS manage to keep Boishaai scoreless for fifteen minutes before a contentious try really put the game out of the visitors reach. Boishaai broke out of their half and the ball was passed wide to the left and then back inside where it appeared to be knocked-on by the marauding Boishaai tighthead Leo Kruger. The visiting English referee conferred with his touch judge and awarded the try making the score 18-nil.
SACS played well for the last ten minutes of the half and were rewarded with three points via the boot of flyhalf Jordan Chait just before the interval.

The second half was much more evenly contested but the theme remained the same with the home team able to score points when required. SACS used the breeze and moved the heavy Boishaai pack around with some enterprising running rugby closing the gap to 18-6 eight minutes into the half.

Five minutes later though Boishaai cut through the SACS defence and secured a scrum close to the SACS line. First going right and then moving the ball back to the left for No. 8 Khanya Ncusane to score.

Ten minutes later SACS scored their try via a driving maul from a lineout with their ripper Dylan Hadzigrigoriou getting the ball down. Chait missed the conversion as SACS looked like they might make a fist of it at 23-11. SACS continued t press and had another chance to kick for the corner and maul, which they probably should have taken, but they tapped instead and the opportunity to exert more pressure was lost.

Chasing the game SACS threw into a quick lineout near their own tryline with four minutes to go. The ball was lost in contact and hooker MC de Jongh gleefully grabbed the loose ball and dotted down. Boishaai finished strongly and dominated the closing exchanges with SACS lucky to hold them out.

For SACS it was another disappointing result against one of the Boland Big-3 but they can be proud of the way they defended at times and the questions they asked of their hosts defence. For Boishaai all will be answered next weekend. They were probably just happy to have this match out the way so they can focus on the big prize. They will go in as favourites but can they come out victorious??

Scorers:
Paarl Boys’ High 30
Tries: MC de Jongh, Khaya Ncusane, Urgene Johannes, Leo Kruger
Conversions: Jeanluc Cilliers (2)
Penalties: Cilliers (2)

SACS 11
Try: Dylan Hadzigrigoriou
Penalties: Jordan Chait (2)