Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival – Day 1 Awards

Here is my own personal teams and players of the first day at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival

Team of the day:

Grey College.

I was privileged enough to watch Grey Bloem at KERF 2010. Their first game up was EG Jansen and I was blown away by the speed at which their backline played back then. Actually it wasn’t just the speed, it was the level of skill they showed while operating at that high speed. They went on to have an unbeaten season that year, killing off many challenges with their vastly superior backline working off quality front-foot ball. 6 players (4 backs) were selected for SA Schools in 2010 with a further 1 back being picked for the SA HP squad. The star-studded backline included players like Johan Goosen, Paul Jordaan and Jan Serfontein who are now well-known in senior rugby circles but the likes of Nico Linde, Ruwellyn Isbell, Inus Kayser and Nel Marais also played a big role back then as did William Small-Smith, who did not play at KERF but went on to captain SA Schools.

So fast-forwarding to yesterday where I saw the makings of the same kind of 2010 team. A backline that functions at such a pace even the most well organised and committed defences are going to struggle to contain them. Just like the line in 2010, the tone gets set at no.10 and here Michael Andrade is a prize acquisition. He’s the director and boy does he look like a well-balanced player. Some might say that he has an easy job playing behind a good pack like Grey has but Andrade’s influence was there for all to see. The fluency made possible by accurate passing, the execution of well-designed moves and the level of confidence of the backs makes them a sight for sore eyes. Grey College always seems able to extract maximum benefit from their fullback joining the line on attack and EW Viljoen is no exception to this trend. His timing and linking was vital. Drawing a lot of attention was wing Stephen Rautenbach –big, strong and direct. It was puzzling to see him wearing jersey number 22, suggesting he is only a second choice player???

Touching on the forwards and again, just like in 2010, a very mobile pack of hard grafters. The frontrow is pure class. The second row boys from 2010 – Gerhard Olivier and Cobus Nel found homes in the backrow after school and this year locks Dylan Harlen and Andries Kriek are playing like loose-forwards as well. German car manufacturer like precision sees the height lacking lineout get the job done. The competition at the summit of SA school rugby is tough but Grey is looking incredibly strong.

Player of the day:

Best Forward of the day: Marius Louw (Grey College)

Stealing the show from all the forwards at the festival on the day was Grey captain Marius Louw. Last year at KERF Louw impressed with his speed when the game loosened up and this year he has added a power dimension. He packs a powerful hand-off as well as the strength on his feet to knock would-be tacklers off their feet in contact and he has not sacrificed any of the pace he had last year.

Best Back of the day: shared between Selvyn Davids (Nico Malan) and Warrick Gelant (Outeniqua)

Selvyn Davids has been at KERF in 2011 and he was brilliant back then as a lighting quick wing with fantastic ball skills and an amazing step. He’s now the outside centre and captain and he hasn’t lost his magical touch. He’s one of those players that defences have to double-team because in one-on-one situations he comes up trumps almost every time. I recall Fabian Juries a once acclaimed Blitzbokke star having a good spell of 15-man rugby with Free State during his latter year and I can see Davids following in Juries’ footsteps. He’s a small player but his rugby footballing intelligence and speed should make up for this at pro level.

Warrick Gelant, the SA Schools centre had a bit of a quiet start as Outeniqua’s opponents EG Jansen were a lot more competitive than the final score of 57-34 gives them credit for. Once the game opened up a bit, it transformed into a bit of Galant show despite the talented inside centre having to play alongside flashy teammates like flyhalf Dewald Human and wing Leighton Eksteen. Galant’s signature move appears to be a short stride with rapid rightward lateral agility. Give him just a little room to the right and he will create separation between himself and his marker and ghost through the gap and believe he has gas. Like Davids, he is extremely difficult to mark one on one. He also has a knack of being in the right support channel at the right time.

Match of the day: Selborne 36 Nico Malan 36

Not very long after this game kicked off Selborne was 19-0 to the good. A parent sitting nearby turned to me and suggested that it was not a fair contest. I replied that it should have been because the team in blue arrived at KERF with a good track record so far this season. However I too was struggling to hide my disappointment in Nico Malan. I’d watched Nico Malan take on a big Selborne team at KERF in 2010 and the Nico Malan boys were really psyched for that encounter with their Eastern Cape rivals that day. It turned out to be a very good 2010 match simply because Nico Malan had a never say die attitude. In the opening quarter of the 2013 game, that same spirit looked like it was nowhere to be found. Nico Malan appeared to be beaten from the kickoff. They were failing to stop the Selborne’s ball in hand advances and it seemed like Selborne’s size advantage was having a big say as it was  allowing the East London school make easy ground and dominate. There was also the at times brilliance of Selborne captain and flyhalf Lugelo Gosa who scored the first two tries. What I really loved about Gosa was his ability to play flat on the advantage line. His lateral movement and passing skills, sometimes creative basketball-like passes meant that his team was well placed to breach the gain line at any time.  Being able to spark things in the backs also resulted in Selborne who have so often in the past brought 10-man rugby along with them to KERF during their 5 previous visits to Botha’s Hill, where now playing more expansive rugby. At 19-0 down and looking dead and buried, Nico Malan finally got a line move to work. Fullback Heinrich Luiters broke free. The move did not amount to any points but it awoke something in Nico Malan. Soon afterwards right wing Juan Maritz who had an outstanding game scored what would have been a good try made possible by some Davids’ brilliance, only for the play to be called back because Selborne had gone into touch on the other side of the field. From that same lineout Nico Malan scored a set move try involving Davids pop passing inside to wing Emile de Bod and the team never looked back. Another pleasing player to watch was Selborne’s little tough customer scrumhalf Keegan Gray. When Selborne managed to turn a desperate defence situation into attack via an intercept after Davids’ good run, it was Gray’s little kick over the top later in the drive that turned the defence and produced a dive on the ball try in the corner for flank Damian Wolvaard. Then another wonderfully executed set move by Nico Malan again off a lineout saw Davids score with Maritz doing good work. NM added a penalty before Davids’ scored again, this time using soccer skills to volley a grounded ball ahead and outrun the defenders before collecting the bouncing ball again. 24-all at the break and the Davids soccer skills solo effect was outdone by centre Darren Domingo’s 100% perfectly weighted chip over the defensive line for Davids to run onto and score. Nico Malan was now ahead for the first time at 31-24. Selborne responded and Gray showed good low centre of gravity might to force his way over from close range and help level matters at 31-31. A good hand-off by powerfully built Selborne inside centre Dylan Pietersen paved the way wing Cwenga Mqingwana to score a try, pushing Selborne in front again at 36-31. A poor relieving kick by Selborne handed Nico Malan their final try and this showpiece finally ended at 36-36. A great advert for schoolboy rugby.

Spirit award: Boland Landbou

Nothing could have prepared Boland Landbou for what happened to them in the first half of their game against Grey College. It was like they had been hit by a series of tsunamis in the form of Grey’s need for speed attack. By halftime it looked like the final score was going to be uglier than ugly and to put things into perspective Boland Landbou looks like a team who could challenge for top place in KZN if they competed in inter-schools in the province – i.o.w. they are decent team. They regrouped at halftime and came out fighting. It wasn’t just about damage control, it was about pride and passion for the Boland Landbou boys. They took the game to Grey and got rewarded on the scoreboard. It’s kind of effort that wins fans amongst the neutrals.

Day 1 team:

1.Andrew du Plessis (Grey College)
2.Martin Wipplinger (Grey College)
3.Ruan Kramer (Grey College)
4.Estian Enslin (EG Jansen)
5.Eduard Zandberg (Outeniqua)
6.Geor Malan (Outeniqua)
7.Marius Louw (Grey College)
8.Rikus Bothma (Paarl Gim)
9.Brendan Nell (Paarl Gim)
10.Lugelo Gosa (Selborne)
11. Stephen Rautenbach (Grey College)
12.Warrick Gelant (Outeniqua)
13.Selvyn Davids (Nico Malan)
14.Leighton Eksteen (Outeniqua)
15.EW Viljoen (Grey College)