In-form and unbeaten Port Natal moved a big step closer to securing a place in this year’s Damelin Night Series thanks to an after the hooter goal against George Campbell. Trailing 22-17 with time up on the clock, the White Knights carried the ball from halfway to over the try-line via a series of phases that showed a huge amount of character. No.8 Sarel Kruger did the damage at the end of the move by busting through to scoring near the upright and setting up scrumhalf Hennie “Bakkies” Janse van Rensburg for a narrow angle conversion to seal the 24-22 victory.
Supporters of both sides will have to go a long way to see a better game this season. The action was thick and fast and saw both teams combine to score six memorable tries. Porties were out of the blocks extremely quick. By the second minute they had capitalised on a series of mistakes made by the visitors and extracted maximum advantage. The sheer speed at which they operated, caught Campbell completely by surprise. Kruger supported by virtually his entire pack crashed over for the first try after Janse van Rensburg had worked his way into a gap and offloaded following a quickly taken tap. The kick made it 7-0.
Minutes later, the youngster that home fans fondly call Bakkies was at it again. His well placed chip was allowed to bounce inside the Campbell half and left wing Carel Terblanche nearly turned the opportunity into points. From the ensuing lineout Porties won back possession came close to scoring. Porties extended their lead to 10-0 via a well-struck Bakkies penalty in the 12 minute. It was just reward for all the pressure they had exerted up until then.
Significantly this was to be a turning point in the game. George Campbell finally started to play some front-foot rugga. Up until then they had been starved of possession by their determined hosts. After five minutes of drastically improved play Campbell were rewarded with a super individually manufactured try when inside centre Mondli Nkosi showed and go’ed from a move that started at an attacking lineout. His try and subsequent conversion reduced the deficit to 10-7 after 17 minutes.
Amongst the highlights of the game were fullback Philo Mzileni’s attacking runs. Mzileni’s speed from a standing start is something else and when coupled with his ability to swerve at top speed, it makes him almost impossible for a first time tackler to stop. Helped by some poorly placed clearance and tactical kicks by Campbell during the game, it offered the speedster numerous opportunities to counterattack and he evaded multiple tackles over the course of the evening’s game. From one of Mzileni’s brilliant carry, Campbell conceded a penalty for a high tackle. Port Natal set up an attacking lineout inside the redzone. From here everything went according to plan and the ball was moved swiftly out to the left wing where Terblanche cut inside and raced in for the try. This made it 17-7 after 21 minutes.
Campbell had the last say of the half. A penalty awarded at the scrum on the dot half-time was duly converted to see the teams change ends at 17-10.
The second half was completely different to the first. Campbell’s strength and more physical approach up front and even amongst the backs, seem to gradually chip away at Porties’ resistance. The visitors first try of the second half was an absolute beaut. It involved teamwork all the way but equally important there were the good decisions made and great handling by both backs and forwards, who all subscribed to the need for speed to unhinge their opponents defensive structure. After several players had carried the ball starting way back in their own half, it was left to loosehead prop Thabiso Mweli to finish it off after a bullocking run. Crucially the conversion, which wasn’t the most difficult kick, was missed, allowing Port Natal to hold onto a slender 17-15 lead.
The next bit of excitement involved Campbell scrumhalf Devon Koekemoer almost setting up his fullback Keaton Nathan for a run in, from a big box kick from inside his own 22-metre area that bounced and sat up nicely. The fullback unfortunately failed to hold onto the ball. It was however clear that Campbell were the more dominant team at this stage. In the 18th minute they opted for a tap and go near the Port Natal line instead of a shot at goal. Porties seemed to stop the initial drive dead in its tracks five metres out but amongst the mass of bodies, the ball transfer to Campbell’s No.8 M De Souza had gone undetected. In a flash he was able to get goal-side of the fringe defenders, catch all accept one alert defender unawares. With this defender hanging on, he generated enough strength to fall and stretch over the line. Campbell went ahead for the first time and the kick increased their lead to 22-17.
It call came down to the exciting final play of the game. The White Knights showed incredible composure. They moved the ball the width of the field to their left, retaining possession even after a kick ahead then moved it back the entire width the other way and in so doing spreading the Campbell defence. This presented a chance to challenge near the fringe of a ruck and Sarel Kruger showed his strength and experience in the close contact situation.
The tension and excitement at the end was just part of an outstanding package. What a great game of schoolboy rugby this match turned out to be. It contained many of the elements that make rugby attractive and which are often sorely missed at senior level, particularly the parts where the ball went through the hands at pace and found it’s way to the players out wide. Great stuff to watch!
@Queenian: Im sure you remember the many jokes. One was about him and Kallie poaching. When Kallie warned- Careful, here comes Fauna and Flora, Mike responded:. Leave the girls and shoot the buck. Another was when he made a “feeding spot” in the dam he and Kallie went to fish. When he returned to the bank, Kallie asked him if he marked the spot. Yes, he responded, I made an X in the boat. He certainly would have done well at Queens
@BOG: Ye you most likely find Mike Schutte went straight from there to JJ Serfontein on a busary or a gap year he fought like them “anything goes”
@Queenian: You are confusing GCB with the folks in Krugerdorp. Mike Schutte was their Dux scholar, in grade 10 (std 8)
@BOG: @rugbyfan: Did GCB not only go up to STD 8 when you folks were there you chaps were mainly 18 by that time. Remember speaking to Rugbyfan,s dad he said the reason he sent him to GCB and not Queens was that the std of Education at Queens was to high and he did not expected him to get further than Std 6.
Jokes great school alround nobody can question that.
Rugbyfan is JJS not GCB brother school
@rugbyfan: After the T20 loss against Saints, I see some wise guy on GCBs FB said: – finally Grey has become an academic school??
By the way, Saints has also beaten Noordkaap, so they will represent the area in the Cape
And people must give a school like Westville there due when it comes to swimming they are one of the best by far i would add Grey PE to that list. And as for athletics a school like Queens stands out always been good and since the new demo-graphics in 92 even got better.
@BOG: Agree with you GCB have come along way from being more than just a good rugby school alot has change in 30 years in 1983 say GCB were no 1 in Rugby about no 10 in cricket and about no 10 in hockey and about no 50 in swimming today we still no 1 in rugby an cricket/hockey in the top 3 or 5 and swimming in the top 10.
I suppose that means we have become an allround school ye i can still remember when i was at Grey we used to get beaten all the time by schools like Queens in cricket and hockey a win was a quite a surprise in those days now its a norm. I think people must always remember GCB has always being a top flight athletics school always in the top 5.
So not to sound arogant but one “Great School”
@GreenBlooded: That does not make much sense, sorry. Their participation was publicised well in advance, on FB, where I read it. As far as I know, they participated in the Midmar on Sunday, an event they have been involved with for many years. But Im not speaking with any authority- Im just saying whay I read.
@GreenBlooded:
Probably were invited and weren’t sure they could make it in time so WBHS B was put on standby. Things wouldve gotten interesting with WBHS B swimming there!
@BOG
Grey have been good for MANY years now but I was just pointing out that they’ve always been kinda close but never really getting to the top. Before Westville rised up it was DHS at the top and before them Glenwood. Glenwood seem to be rising againand maybe after them DHS will dominate again. Seems a 3 school cycle for best Swim school in SA.
But honestly you only need 6 really good swimmers to start a winning trend and attracting future swimmers.
Glenwood have done it and look at them now. From coming last in Top 10 three years ago to being 3rd this year and 2nd best placed KZN school all beacuse of roughly about 8 boys!
@BOG: Interestingly, the WBHS Invitational Gala on Friday night did not include Grey College for some reason. THe WBHS B Team was scheduled to swim. Grey arrived at the meet, lanes got swapped around and the WBHS B Team were told to stand down to accomadate Grey. Not sure how/why this transpired so don’t shoot the messenger. Seems odd that Grey were not invited this year after having been invited for the past 2 occassions.
Would love to know the full story here.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: I have always regarded GCB swimming as being above average , not exceptional and I dont think, ever at the top. A few yrs ago, they were rated first in rugby, cricket, golf and hockey and in most of their other sport, in the top 5-10, but swimming, yet again just above average. Im not taking anything away from WBHS- I just thought that GCB did pretty well, considering where they are in swimming. I did not expect it, because only a week earlier, Pretoria BHS beat them.
@BOG:
That’s 302 out of a max. Of 312 points.
Their U14s lost all but 1, U15 lost a few so to still get that many is awesome.
Name me a year in the past 10 years where Grey were REALLY close to the top ?
@HORSEFLY NO.1: Taking nothing away from WBH, but they got 302 points, GCB 263, Clifton 221, the others, less. Not sure that represents a “league of their own” in a year that grey can hardly claim to be exceptional.
@BOG:
Grey did well but WBHS are in a league of their own! Great stuff, their U14s aren’t doing so well but with the gap between 1st and 2nd you would never guess that
@BOG: Lang/kort grysbroeke.
@Woltrui: Ons is trots op ons geskiedenis van verdraagsaamheid en min skole kan daarop aanspraak maak dat hulle vir Bram Fischer en Roby Leibrandt opgelewer het met elke denkbare opinie tussenin.(Pieter Labuschagne, Cheetah flank, is terloops lg se kleinkind)Julle buurman het darem vir Peter Hein opgelewer- hy het seker uit een vdaai bome op sy kop geval) Dit verklaar waarom ons nie lang/kort grysbroeke dra nie.
@BOG: Affies tans die no 1 krieket skool volgens “saschoolssport”. (Grey kollege tans 3. Amper maak ek fout om te se 2 uit top 3 is Afrikaanse skole. Maar julle is mos Anglo Afrikaans en val dus nie in die kategorie)
8)
@beet: Yes, my comment was meant, mostly for your fellow Natalians. I now know who the surfers are who surf with life jackets.@star: Its SAINT Andrews, and yes, they are from Bloem. If my memory serves me correctly, Grey and Saints played their first cricket match back in 1884. Wish they would play real cricket. I dont even watch this T20 rubbish at international level. Its merely to make “cricket” accessible to fools. I even struggle with 50 over games. Give me real 5 day cricket- the rest is an insult to the game@Woltrui: Ja, hulle doen veral goed teen die souties by Michaelmasweek in die “last outpost”. Doen goed in gholf ook.
Volgende challenge is croquet.
@Bog- You must go to the High School Sports Magazine( HSSM) Beet has kindly provided the link.It currently could be confused for the Westville website
Yes Grey did come second and they are more than worthy of that place( water or none). I was hoping that we would meet up at the T20 final in Stellies. The FS representative is however Andrew College who beat GC in their provincial final. What part of the States do they come from?
@BOG: I thought Ryk Neethling was from GCB, so I expect you guys to be strong at swimming.
@BOG: Look as if the “states” and even the Rock spiders up north is catching up on these wonderfull and weird watersports. I beleive Affies 1st team won the waterpolo, for the first time in their history, against KES last weekend. Apparently we even overtook the traditionally strong cricket teams.
Beet, what about some swimming results from Westville. I believe that the boys from the States, where, according to Star, there is no water, did not do too badly. In fact, I believe, out of 12 schools, most surrounded by water, GCB came second. What happened at Midmar?