Hilton continues to exceed expectations this season and they are now on a four game winning streak. Last weekend they took down Kearsney and this weekend their victim was Westville who they beat 25-12, outscoring their visitors by three tries to nil in the process.
There was definitely room for improvement in the Hilton performance but at the same time they need to be complimented for their efforts to build phases and for taking their handful of opportunities well.
It was a start-stop type game. As hard as Westville tried they couldn’t find rhythm, their game plan was difficult to identify and as a result the boys appeared to quickly run out of attacking ideas when they had possession. The penalty count against them was also high.
At halftime it was 7-6 to Hilton with both teams having missed shots at goals during the half. Westville’s first half points were penalties that had come from the boot of fullback Jaryd Lombard while Hilton’s try was the end product of special moment by a valuable player in the form of their captain and flyhalf Angus Curtis. It was scored in the 25th minute and started with go-to lineout jumper Matthew Hull rising well to take a clean catch at an attacking setpiece near the Westville 22, from where the ball was fed quickly out Curtis who while on the move shaped to pass but held, cut inside and challenge the defence in front of him. His incisiveness and explosiveness allowed the nippy pivot to find a hole and once through it he offloaded to charging lock Richard Teichmann who carried it over all the way from 20 metres out in a fashion that suggested a brick wall was not going to stop him. Curtis then converted the difficult angle kick.
Hilton’s first arriving players did a far better job of securing tackled ball for recycling than their opponents did and their second try, scored after the break was a fine team effort based around ball retention. Hilton controlled possession through several phases and used the full width of the field as they advanced during this attack. After applying tremendous goal-line pressure close to the fringes of rucks, a skip pass out to veteran wing Darren McGhee wide on the right broke the camel’s back.
In spite of these two tries with half an hour left to play, Westville were very much still in it to win it. Fullback Lombard had added a further two penalties, one either side of the second try to level the scores at 12-all.
However to their disadvantage Westville continued to infringe and amassed a penalty count of 14-2 against them during the second half alone and topped it off by receiving a yellow card as well.
Following the yellow, Hilton tried hard to breach the line and get a 5-pointer, eventually settling for a Curtis penalty to regain the lead at 15-12 in the 47th minute. Four minutes later it became a 18-12 lead when a fantastic individual play by Curtis’s younger brother Graham playing at scrumhalf, paved the way for another successful penalty after Westville were trapped offside.
Hilton’s contest ending try occurred 12-minutes from time and had its starting point at their own 22. A free kick awarded against an attacking Westville lineout was first used to drive the ball up, followed by a punt that Westville allowed to bounce and be reclaimed by the “Whites” who attempted to spread the ball wide, only for the attack to be halted by a Westville player deliberately knocking the ball forward and being penalised. With the penalty being advanced a further 10m, Hilton now deep in their opponents half, kicked for the corner, won the ensuing lineout, generated continuity and it was finally prop Sakhile “Skinny” Nyembezi who powered past the stubborn defence and crashed over for a converted try.
Westville tried hard all the way up until the final whistle but just could not produce enough consistent or creative attacking pressure to threaten the Hilton tryline.
It was an important win for the Hilton boys in the end. They have a chance to grow their winning streak this coming weekend before the BIG ONE in two weeks time: Michaelhouse at Michaelhouse, the passionate Midlands derby that Hilton has been on the losing end of for the last four in a row; a trend they will no doubt be eager to change.
Eish – and I’m driving back from KES tomorrow – hope the weather is not too bad on the road at night
@CRC: The weather forecast is looking rather grim. Hopefully the rain stays away.
I think that Hilton are definite favourites, it will be a huge surprise if House pull off a win.
@Far Meadows: You never know with the Hilton/Michaelhouse and it is at House. Bad weather expected as well. I am sure it is going to be close and good luck to both teams.
I think it could be carnage at Michaelhouse this weekend .
A group that is quite a lot weaker than expected , has now been further decimated by injury , with the Herbert , Turkington and Maingard all out injured ( from the backline alone ) .
The best that ‘House can hope for is to keep the scoreline respectable .
@Rhino_67: Our scrums were brilliant especially against the now U19 CW prop. That has never been the issue. The core of our backline is a shambles and you cannot blame the boys. How many different flyhalves,scum halves and fullbacks have we had? We have 2 great runners in the full back( Lombard?) and Tony. All you have to do is pass behind the front line to bring them into the game and the gaps will open up. Long skip passes ( even if executed well) are poor options as the defence just drifts out. I am also concerned about the defence around the fringes. Last year Nicholson and Kitching sorted out Palvie which was one of the reasons we recorded that memorable victory on Dixons. That area was exposed by Bad Brad on the weekend.
@oldschool: Sensitive much?
@oldschool:
Very common for teams that are under the pump to give away penalties. It’s a good ref that resists the temptation to ‘even the odds’ and blow the penalties anyway.
@oldschool: I think he meant that seriously, that for a few trips to France there might be more refs. There’s precious little other reward other than self satisfaction.
What was the penalty count in the first half, and overall?
Sounded like a great game for Hilton. Well done to them. They have a very good side, nice to hear they put it together
@Rugger fan: sensitive much ? Hopefully the potential refs reading this blog have a sense of humor , which is imperative in their chosen hobby/profession !
@oldschool: Now that would be a great marketing incentive to get new refs on board
A penalty count of 14 2 against the Ville in the 2nd half !! Midlands refs must be spending some holiday time the south of France this coming European summer !! 8)
@star: Star, it was very painful to watch. As you clearly state, Westville doesn’t have a game plan and seem to run out of ideas when they do have the ball in hand. We always say you have to earn the right to go wide and Westville doesn’t seem to be applying this. We have the tight forwards to take the ball up but these same tight forwards are found more often on the outside of the wings or causing congestion in the mid field. If we committed more opposition forwards to the breakdown, maybe the likes of Boulle and Mhlangu would be able to run at just two defenders instead of four. I though Westville’s first phase ball is looking a lot more secure with a few good steals at the front of the lineouts and a tighthead coming our way near the end of the first half. One big concern is distribution to the backline being extremely erratic with players having to jump to take passes or the pass not even reaching them. We also make poor decisions in singling out the incorrect crash ball carriers with the inevitable turnover happening as a result of the wrong person taking the ball up. Things will have to change quickly or we could be starring down the barrel of Westville worst 1st Team Rugby season ever.
All I can say is thank goodness I was able to ” swing” and wear my Hilton hat.The Sushi and Moet with some of my mates from the class of 1982 made the performance of my other alma mater almost bearable. The difference in urgency and most importantly confidence between the 2 sides was palpable. Add to that a clear and constructive game plan and the result was all too plain to see unfold.. It is hard to believe that 2 years ago as U16s Westville put 60 on their Hilton counterparts. There are several players that are now playing in their 2nd year and they need to stand up and be counted. I am certainly looking forward to the Hilton/House derby which I have not been able to say for a while now.