Media release by Working Words of Kearsney
MATCH 5
SACS 19 – 13 HOERSKOOL FRAMESBY
SACS from Cape Town probably deserved their first half lead of 8-3 against Framesby from Port Elizabeth in the final game of the first day of the festival. SACS had the major portion of possession and territory, but Framesby defended well.
Framesby fought back to go into the lead, but SACS replied with another penalty to snatch the lead again. On the stroke of full-time SACS scored once again for a hard fought 19-13 win.
After initial pressure from Framesby when SACS prevented them crossing the line, SACS surged into the Framesby half for the first time. A good run by right wing Zolanki Masembathe took play to five metres from the Framesby line. Following the line-out, a ruck ensued which saw flank Kyle Coles going over for a 5-0 lead.
A Framesby penalty by fullback Riaan van Rensburg opened their tally but SACS again moved to five points ahead when centre Jordy Hop converted a penalty giving SACS an 8-3 lead at the break.
Shortly after the break SACS were given another penalty, which Hop converted to extend the lead to 8 points.
Framesby centre Leslie Sharp rounded off a good line movement to score in the corner. They followed with a second try, this time by Michael Whittock, after Sharp had made the initial running to give Framesby a 13-11 lead.
Hop put SACS back into the lead with a penalty and in the final seconds flank Liam Larkan scored after a ruck, to give SACS a 19-13 victory.
Scorers:
SACS: Tries Coles, Larkan; Penalty: Hop (3)
Framesby: Tries Sharp, Whittock; Penalty Van Rensburg
MATCH 4
MARITZBURG COLLEGE 16 – 25 DALE COLLEGE
The penultimate match on the first day of the festival saw two of the smaller sides, Dale and Maritzburg College, face each other. There were too many mistakes in the match to make it a good one and Dale were quicker on to the loose ball to give them a good win.
Dale took their chances while College’s handling sometimes let them down.
It was left wing Bamanye Xenxo that scored followinga long diagonal kick from fullback Aphelele Fassi. This gave Dale a 5-0 lead. This they increased to 12-0 after right wing Litha Nkula snatched the ball from a College player who was waiting for the high ball. Nkula had a free run to the tryline scoring under the poles to give Siphosothu Diongodlongo and easy two points.
College scored their first points when wing Xolisa Guma kicked ahead and scrumhalf Lodewyk Muller dived over in the corner. This narrowed the gap to 5-12. A penalty late in the half by Reuben van Blerck brought them seven points behind Dale.
Maritzburg College had the better of the second half winning more possession but there were too many mistakes both handling and at the breakdown. This played into Dales hands.
A penalty by flyhalf Van Blerck and then a good try by Andile Khanyile narrowed Dale’s lead to just two points. A fortuitous kick ahead from a poor pass by flyhalf Dlongodlongo saw him gather the kind bounce and score under the posts. This time it was fullback Fossi that converted for a25-16 win.
Scorers:
Dale College: Tries Xenxe, Nkula, Dlongodonga (2); Conversions Fassi; Penalty Dlongodlongo
Maritzburg College: Tries Muller, Khanyile; Penalty Van Blerck (2)
MATCH 3
GLENWOOD 14 – 13 DR E G JANSEN
This was a very intense game where both sides had their chances but, in the final assessment, it was the Glenwood forwards who enabled a narrow 14-13 victory by the KZN team.
Glenwood started the match with some early pressure but a handling mistake saw EG Jansen on attack. A kick ahead and it was an open try-line but as the Jansen player attempted to pick up the ball he knocked on.
Further concerted pressure by the team from Boksburg ended with flyhalf Ruben Beytel making a break and scoring the opening points. The conversion was unsuccessful.
Glenwood came back and left wing GJ Lubbe had a strong run down the touch to beat the defence and touch down. Flyhalf Francke Botha succeeded with the extra points for Glenwood to lead 7-5.
EG Jansen went back into the lead when Beytel was successful with a penalty just before the drinks break, taking his side to a narrow 8-7 lead.
The intensity of the rugby continued in the second half with both sides having chances but good defence stopped certain tries. From a forward maul on the try-line Glenwood prop Quintin Vorster forced his way over. Botha added the two points for a 14-8 lead.
EG Jansen came straight back and it was another forward drive ending with hooker Werner Fourie going over. The conversion was again not successful, leaving Glenwood 14-13 ahead.
The last 10 minutes was nail biting with both sides having their chances but missing penalties. This provided the KZN team a narrow win.
Scorers:
Glenwood: Tries Lubbe, Vorster; Conversions Botha (2)
EG Jansen: Tries Beytel, Fourie; Penalty Beytel
MATCH 2
HTS MIDDELBURG 14 – 22 SELBORNE COLLEGE
Two teams with heavy forwards, HTS Middelburg and Selborne College met in the second game of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. The forwards were evenly matched but it was in the backline where Selborne had an advantage.
The scoring was opened with a penalty by Selborne flyhalf David Coetzer. Middelburg came back strongly and they pressurised the Selborne try-line for five minutes. In that time they were awarded three penalties but did not attempt the conversions. After the pressure it was Selborne who got back into the Middelburg half, ending with a try by right wing Joshua Armstrong.
Just before the break Coetzer found the defence napping as he ducked round the blind side of a ruck to score. This he converted for Selborne to lead 15-0 at the break.
The second half saw Middelburg giving their best to score, but Selborne again held firm until they
were given a yellow card. With a player short in the forwards, Middelburg forwards were hard to stop on the line. A ruck on the try-line saw prop Armando Lubbe come up with the ball. It was converted by flyhalf Riekerd Barnard to narrow the gap to 7-15.
Quick thinking at a penalty saw Selborne flyhalf James Bruce snipe through the defence and run 20m to score under the posts for an easy conversion by Coetzer.
The game ended with Middelburg on attack and it was again their forwards who forced their way over. Lubbe scored and with a successful conversion by Barnard, Middelburg had reduced the margin to 14-22.
Scorers:
Selborne: Tries Armstrong, Coetzer Bruce; Conversions Coetzer (2); Penalty Coetzer
HTS Middelburg: Try: Lubbe (2); Conversions: Barnard (2)
MATCH 1
KEARSNEY COLLEGE 57 – 10 HOëRSKOOL NOORD-KAAP
The ninth annual Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival kicked off in sunshine with a light breeze blowing down the field. Hosts Kearsney College played into the breeze and established early pressure against Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley. The forwards had the better of scrums and line-outs and the backline showed the willingness to spread the ball from touchline to touchline.
Noord-Kaap gradually adapted to the conditions and, although Kearsney had the better of the first half, the visitors scored a try to end off the half.
It took Kearsney only six minutes before they opened the scoring with a try by flank Dylan Richardson. He broke through the defence with a strong run. The conversion was successful by fullback James Sutherland.
There were two further tries, the first by prop and captain Greg van Noordwyk and the second, a brilliant try, where the movement was started by Richardson and finished by flank Luke Croshaw. Both were converted by Sutherland, for a commanding 24-3 lead.
Just before halftime some elusive running by Noord-Kaap flyhalf Byron Qupa found support in centre Ruan Schultz and, with Hufke converting, Noord-Kaap narrowed the gap to 10-24 at the drinks break.
Kearsney then had the breeze behind them and they were quickly on the board again, after good pressure ending with scrumhalf Warren Driver diving over.
Then came the try of the game as the ball moved through the hands ending with left wing Matthew Watts who ran 40m down the touchline to dot down. Sutherland had his most difficult kick but he split the uprights for another two points and a 38-10 lead.
Kearsney were not finished, scoring another three tries. Sutherland put in a strong run to score in the right corner and this time he did not convert.
Watts scored his second try with another strong run down the left touchline, converted again by Sutherland. Matthew Blair then scored the final try with a run down the right touch, again converted by Sutherland for a 57-10 win.
Unfortunately Noord-Kaap were their own worst enemies as some promising moves were spoilt by poor handling.
Point Scorers:
Noord-Kaap: Try: R Schultz. Conversion & penalty: C Hufke
Kearsney: Tries: D Richardson, G van Noordwyk, L Croshaw, W Driver, M Watts (2), J Sutherland, M Blair. Conversions: J Sutherland (7). Penalty: J Sutherland.
FESTIVAL FIXTURES:
Day 2 – Saturday 26 March
09h30 Hoërskool Framesby v Dale College; 10h45 Glenwood v HTS Middelburg; 12h00 Kearsney College v SACS; 13h15 Maritzburg College v Selborne College; 14h30 Dr EG Jansen v Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
Day 3 – Monday 28 March
10h45 SACS v Selborne College; 12h00 – Hoërskool Framesby v Hoërskool Noord-Kaap; 13h15 Maritzburg College v Dr EG Jansen; 14h30 Glenwood v Dale College; 15h45 Kearsney v HTS Middelburg
Goodness, Kearsney vs SACS was a real nail biter. Congrats to Kearsney who pulled it through in the end. The teams are so close though that any team can win on any given day.
@Greenman: Shew, sounded tough. Heard there were tons of injury breaks. Hopefully nothing too serious for both sides….
Great rugby between HTS Middelburg and Glenwood. Glenwood 17 -6. We will take it but a tough one! Now for that beer I promised myself!
@GreenBlooded: Thanks
Here are some videos of the Day 1 action.
http://ow.ly/ZVkuS
@jakes: Yep, any win over EG is a big scalp for Glenwood. We have a trip to Japan for SANIX soon so this is very good prep. More a home venue for Glenwood than EG so up on the Vaal it might have been different. We will take it…
@Grasshopper: very close and tough game. It could have gone anyway by the sounds of it. Not a very exciting game as per by some comments, too many errors. But I believe there is not much differrence between EGJ and Glenwood in 2016.Both strong teams that will do well this year.Still a lot of time to work on those small errors and weaker points.
@beet:
I’ve emailed you a directive we received at the start of the season regarding lightning. Perhaps worth an article. It err’s very much on the side of caution.
@jakes: I think Glenwood missed 2 kicks too..
One conversion could have swung the game for EG Jansen. Sorry EGJ, well done Glenwood. Second very tough game in a row for EGJ, they should concentrate on their kicking for it could cost them again in close games later in the season. Still early in season though, need to work on handling errors and kicking. The rest looks good.
@GreenBlooded: Interestingly very soon after the final whistle, the alarm of the lightning warning system sounded at Kearsney. Amongst the benefits was a senior master receiving a message on his phone indicating the distance away and direction of the approaching storm. Really good technology to go hand in hand with what you’d mentioned about stricter rugby laws re: postponing / abandoning the field during electric storms.
Compared to the Cape teams that played at Noord-Suid, SACS looked very undercooked. However this was their first game of the season and under the circumstances to come away with a tight win against a big, determined and battle-hardened Framesby was a good result
A crucial moment took place right at the start of the match. Possibly SACS’s best backline play saw no.11 wing take off on a run down the right. He was forced into touch just short of the line. However Framesby failed to control their lineout in this defensive position and SACS capitalised by scoring their only try of the match.
Framesby fought their way not just back into contention but into the lead in the second half. At 13-11 they looked to be on course for the win as they where the team that seemed to be finding the attacking width. Their second try was special as it involved good passing to produce the space. Centre turned wing Leslie Sharp played a part in both tries, scoring one and assisting for the other.
SACS showed their mental toughness and battled back, winning penalties which centre Jordy Hop converted.
Dale probably produced the best attacking and defensive moments of the day.
The rugby league adopted cross field kick has become more and more evident in pro rugby over the last few years but it’s usually a tactic employed inside the opponents 22. Dale used it from a lot further out but the execution was a 10 out of 10. The kick by fullback Aphelele Fassi was perfectly weighted for wing Litha Nkula to sprint straight ahead and then come up with an airborne pluck that virtually stole the ball out of hands of a College player who looked to have the catching line covered. The Dale wing landed on his feet and took off for the tryline with no one able to catch him. It was a superb play.
Amongst the impressive Dale players was Sharks bound SA Schools flank Kwanda Dimaza. His midriff hit on College wing Xolisa Guma which knocked the KZN Craven Week wing off his feet and into touch was as good as they come. All credit to Guma who picked himself up and trotted back to his position at the back without showing any signs of discomfort.
Dale’s star players stood out in the match. There was no one better than inside centre Sibulele Mbana who is bound to have national pro rugby scouts chasing after his signature once he turns 18.
Dale’s two early tries gave them a useful 12-0 lead, an advantage which they never surrendered.
College looked a little rusty and disjointed at times but they seemed to pull themselves together in the second half. The cross field kick was a thing of beauty but College produced a magic moment of their own following a lineout, when they ran the ball and centre Njabulo Mjara took a half-gap before he came up with a no-look offload to set up flank Andile Khanyile for the try in the corner. This narrowed the gap right down to 18-16 in Dale’s favour with momentum on College’s side.
However it was Dale who had the better chances towards the end and took the game out of reach. College fullback Jaco Truter made a telling ankle tap to save one try effort by wing Bamanye Xenxe. There was no answer to the footballing skills of Dale flyhalf Siphosethu Dlongodlongo though. He toed the ball ahead twice to overcome the attention of College scrumhalf Loodwyk Muller and get third try for the team from “King”.
Glenwood 14 EG Jansen 13. It won’t be remembered as a showstopper but the one point winning margin tells it all. It was very close game that could have gone either way and therefore kept everyone in attendance very interested. And no doubt either team would have taken the one point win had it been on the table before the match.
The things best remembered about the match were probably the unconverted into points chances. Amongst them was an opportunistic move where EG turned over a ball and ran from behind their own tryline, something that seemed so out of place for a Noordvaal team to do. There was good line move by Glenwood which opened a massive channel in midfield for line joining fullback Dylan Kruger to run into but the youngster could not hang onto the speculative pass. Highly rated Glenwood no.8 Marco Palvie was using this match to regain full fitness, produced the classiest chip over the wall and catch, but critically he chose to hang on even after seeing his support players on the overlap and with room on his right. When Jansies wing Franklin Wagner, who was a handful to contain, had a chance to stretch his legs during the second half, he raced clear on the outside, beat the fullback with a cut inside and had nothing but the tryline ahead of him, but backtracking Glenwood wing Devon Brough pulled off a save of note with diving ankle tap.
EG broke the deadlock when their no.19 (Dwayne Fourie?) received the ball in a wide position and came up with great stepping to get through a hole and have enough momentum to get home. He cracked what was looking like a very well organized Glenwood defence. This was the moment of the match. Glenwood replied with tries by wing GJ Lubbe and prop Quintin Vorster. There were a few good carries here and there but little by way of continuity and the second try was the highlight for this as the likes of Maarten Holtzhausen and Jaden Jooste contributed to the 5-pointer being scored. A poor disciple off the ball put the KZN team under pressure. EG took advantage to score a rolling maul try from the lineout set from the penalty, scored by hooker Wian Fourie. Crucially very useful EG scrumhalf Ginter Smuts missed the angled conversion leaving his team trailing to 13-14 to the end. Glenwood missed two late penalties.
The Selborne vs HTS Middelburg match was a start-stop affair and contributed to the match day of very average festival rugby play. The penalty count was off the charts. HTS didn’t take shots at goal when they were on offer in the first half, in the hopes of converting these redzone penalties into tries via tap ‘n goes and 5m out lineouts. It was a gamble that did not pay off and could have influenced the outcome if they had the points on the scoreboard and Selborne had to take the risks to chase the game during the second half.
Selborne also coughed up a ball when crossing the line and about to score but they did come away with points from the sustained pressure. Hooker Mila Bomela stood out for his explosiveness which allowed him to gain ground on a couple of occasions, including the move that led to the opening try by wing Josh Armstrong.
The try of the match was scored by young flyhalf Davie Coetzer and was the end result of good play by fullback Jason Raubenheimer who expertly collected a kick on the run, kicked over the top, allowing Coetzer to gather it on the bounce, advance forward before being brought down in a tackle. He quickly got up and positioned himself alongside the touchline and was the recipient of a quickball pass from the ruck, from there he outstripped the cover D and scored.
One thing spectators quickly learn about HTS Middelburg is that the word quit is not in their dictionary. They have a tremendous amount of spirit and their staying-power means opponents have to stay focused to the final whistle. At halftime the Rooibulle were 15-0 down. They picked up their game and when another kickable penalty came their way their they turned it into maximum when no.8 Wian Neethling planted the ball over the line after breaking from the back of a maul. However HTS’s fightback received a setback when setback when fast thinking scrummy James Bruce who’s started the match as a wing, used a quick tap from a penalty just inside the 22 to squeeze through a space and run in untouched. From a scrum platform close to the Selborne line HTS ran hard and direct, giving centre Andries Koen a crash over try. 22-14.
Rooibulle highly rated flank JC Pretorius came on as an impact player in the second half and although noticeable was not at his influential best. The player of the match was arguably Selborne centre Sango Xamlashe.
@GreenBlooded: I think both 2 and reserve scrummy the sons of GOBs
Given Kearsney’s history in schoolboy rugby, supporters ought to be delighted with their start to the season. They are producing results and this result against Noord-Kaap was an exceptionally good one. However for the perfectionist there are still areas of concern when Kearsney move the ball wide. The decision-making, the timing of the passes and speed injection are still lag behind the Cape sides and Garsfontein that I witnessed at Noord-Suid a week ago. During a blindside move lock Jared Meyer shaped his marker, forcing this tackler to commit to his running line as opposed to drifting toward the touchline. This touch of skill opened up the space on the outside for the Kearsney support runners. I thought that was amongst the smarter plays of the game and hopefully there is more of that in the pipeline for Day 2 and 3. SACS are bound to bring a vastly increased level of defensive urgency on Saturday and Kearsney will have be that much sharper. That said amongst the backs centre Cameron Craze is starting to play with more and more authority and wing Matt Watts really go to show off his abilities, particularly his speed. The pack did very well and the lineout work that had been a sore point in games before was a lot better. The try scored by Luke Croshaw came from some outstanding team play. Dylan Richardson had another fantastic game and this under-17 is wasting no time establishing himself as one of the best schoolboy rugby players in the country this year.
Noord-Kaap had opportunities to score a couple more tries in the first half. A lot of the best attacking action was generated by fullback Cameron Hufke whose footwork and pace allow him to play as an untouchable at times. On top of this he is a good goalkicker. Hufke was the architect of their only try by centre Ruan Schultz. However the fullback was also the culprit for two try scoring opportunities going abegging, although it has to be added that he manufactured the one chance and could not complete a SBW to his wing at the end of it. So the halftime score might have been as close as 24-24 instead of 24-10. Noord-Kaap was a no-show in the second half. The reason why is unexplainable. They seem like they have useful players and should be disappointed by their effort in the second 30-minutes.
I have a feeling that the GW Hooker Connor Botha could be the son of 84/85 era GW hooker Michael Botha. Can anyone confirm? Saw some of the mid 80’s era players there yesterday – Michael Botha, Freddie Swanepoel and others. Maybe Michael there to watch his boy follow in his footsteps?