Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival 2019 – match reports & teams of the day

 

For fun, basically the XV players that impressed me. The loose-forwards proved a challenge because there were quite a few good ones. As usual a few kids are picked out of position and offensive abilities are highlighted although it must be mentioned that defence on the whole of a good standard on Day 1. The per match average was 43 while at Craven Week we’ve been seeing the equivalent of 61 points per game within a 60-minute period.

DAY 1

#	NAME	SCHOOL	DAY 1 OPINION
1	Benicio Kamfer	Drostdy	Not the pick of the possies on Day 1 but just like last year I liked his enthusiasm.
2	Oyisa Dyani	Selborne	The “stand-out stand-in”. He covered for the injured SA Schools player Jacques Goosen and had an awesome game.
3	Dylan Minnaar	Selborne	Loved his ball-carrying in traffic.
4	Dezin Oosthuizen	Glenwood	Such a welcomed sight after the Monnas match, as he added oomph to the GM pack and played like a man on a mission.
5	Jarrod Taylor	Selborne	Sjoe! It feels like if the producers left the tape rolling on the set of a Terminator movie, he’d be the next machine coming off the production line after Arnold Schwarzenegger.  He really is setting the bar very high at the moment. Good linework as an added bonus for his team. Played flank.
6	Christo Grobler	Framesby	Really came to life when Frameby needed to take the fight to Gimmies and get back into the match.
7	Jaundre Odendaal	EG Jansen	“Yster speler”. Super mobilty too.
8	Calla Pienaar	Welkom Gim	Really enjoyed what he offered around the park especially his running into space.
9	Jaden Collaros	Pretoria BH	Still u17 but played with authority built on confidence.
10	Justin Cross	Pretoria BH	Showed that he can feature well in each of the kick-run-pass options.
11	Tylon Kotze	EG Jansen	Not many chances but showed his X when he got the tuck the ball and go for it!
12	Keith van Aswegen	Welkom Gim	I have seen him play on the Stott for 3 years now. This was his best performance to date.
13	Martino van Wyk	Glenwood	Loved his all-round energy and especially his stepping which saw him manoeuvre out of the path of plenty of tacklers.
14	Keane Galant	Drostdy	Exciting player who clearly possesses the ability to open up a D. Played fullback.
15	Elzandro Hendricks	Noord-Kaap	Classy player. Has a bit of everything. If HNK can get more front-foot ball, he will be a threat of note.

DAY 2

#	NAME	SCHOOL	DAY 2 OPINION
1	Ruan Smith	Framesby	A big unit who was able to contribute in the tight loose.
2	William Moffat	Framesby	A standout performance in what is a fairly strong position at the fest.
3	Morne Prins	Framesby	A bright prospect who will surely feature at Craven Week
4	Aidan Bristow	PretoriaBH	An always willing go-to player for his school. Played flank.
5	Grant Pretorius	Selborne	Another consistent player who helps the Selborne pack dominate forward exchanges.
6	Ethan Smit	Glenwood	Reward for a continuation of Day 1’s form really.
7	Jarrod Taylor	Selborne	A very dominant player at schoolboy rugby level.
8	Ruan Claassen	Framesby	Along with his hooker, the potential player of the day
9	Jaden Collaros	Pretoria BH	A really good player. Showed his versatility and toughness. In this day and age it’s hard to believe he is not on a sports bursary.
10	Juandre Liebenberg	Framesby	A classy performance to remind all that he is an SA Schools contender. Beautiful balanced runner, lovely passing ability, accurate kicking out of hand. Most importantly great decision-making.
11	Elzandro Hendricks	Noordkaap	Showed again that in addition to pace, he has vision and good footballing skills.
12	Christo Grobler	Framesby	Wow! The flank that had to play centre and once again caught the eye.
13	Christiaan Vlok	HTS Middelburg	A youngster who has a good feel for the game. He could be hot property in 2020.
14	Bradley Mayekiso	Pretoria BH	Low centre of gravity player. He worked the room he was given very well to gain many metres.
15	Marchall Andrews	Welkom Gim	A flashy player who used his creativity to thrill the crowd.

DAY 3

#	NAME	SCHOOL	DAY 3 OPINION
1	Blaine Golden	Glenwood	Although a tighthead prop, his mobility and handling make him a must on a teamsheet.
2	William Moffat	Framesby	Has proven to be a very useful player. Injects tempo when he gets the ball.
3	Reinhardt Nel	PretoriaBH	Backed up his noticeable day one performance with another good effort.
4	Christo Steyn	WelkomGim	Made huge inroads in the poor weather.
5	Jarrod Taylor	Selborne	No equal at KERF when it comes to the big collisions.
6	Wynand du Plessis	Drostdy	Solid player who is equally at home at hooker.
7	Massimo Fierro	Kearsney	Very effective ballcarrier match in the wet.
8	Keke Morabe	WelkomGim	A consistent performer who without being flashy gets the job done.
9	Leshley October	EGJansen	The reliable and efficient veteran who covers several positions well.
10	Jordan Hendrikse	Glenwood	Very reliable performer who has certainly upped his claims for KZN Craven Week selection.
11	Carlo Cloete	Glenwood	The nippy litte scrumhalf was full value on the wing in a patched together Glenwood team.
12	Mntungwa Mapantsela	Selborne	Rapidly returning to top form after being injured at the start of the fest.
13	Keanu Windvogel	NoordKaap	Consistent standard throughout the fest.
14	Quintino October	HTSMiddelburg	A match-winning performance including an outrageous offload. Played on the left.
15	Marchall Andrews	WelkomGim	Innovative footballer.

MATCH REPORTS COMPLIMENTS OF KEARSNEY COLLEGE – written by Mike Hill

KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL 2019
DAY 1: THURSDAY 18 APRIL

GAME 1
KEARSNEY COLLEGE 11 – 27 PRETORIA BOYS HIGH

Kearsney traditionally opens their Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival and this year, the 12th, it was against Pretoria Boys. Kearsney had the better of the first half, but it was all PBHS in the second half for a 27-11 win.

After initially feeling out each other it was Pretoria who scored when wing Tim Glatthaar beat the cover defence to score in the corner for a five-point lead.

Gradually the Kearsney forwards began dominating and after 17 minutes it was prop forward Bradley Taylor who opened their scoring with a try, after the forwards had advanced 15m with pick and go driving. The scores were level but Kearsney sneaked ahead following a penalty by scrumhalf Jordan Bamber.

Boys High rallied and exerted their own pressure which led to Glatthaar going over for his second try following broken play in the Kearsney red zone. It was easily converted by flyhalf Justin Cross. On the stroke of half-time a penalty by Bamber narrowed the score to 11-12.

The second half saw a change with Pretoria exerting most of the pressure. Early in the half scrumhalf Jaden Collaros ran 20m through the defence to score and Cross’ conversion saw Pretoria increasing their lead to 19-11. A long-range penalty by Cross increased it further to 22-11.

Aidan Bristow, captain and flank, scored the final try which was converted.

Point scorers:
PBHS: J Glatthaar (5,5), J Collaros (5), A Bristow (5), J Cross (3,2,2)
Kearsney: B Taylor (5), J Bamber (3,3)

GAME 2
WELKOM GIMNASIUM 25 – 25 HOERSKOOL FRAMESBY

The second game of KERF saw two powerhouses, Hoerskool Framesby from Port Elizabeth against Welkom Gimnasium in their second year at the festival.

Framesby were quickly on the scoreboard following pace by Cadan-Wade Finnis down the right flank for a 5-0 lead in the 90th second of the game.

Welkom opened their score with a penalty by flyhalf Bennie Human. Welkom forwards, a number of them under 19, began having the better of exchanges which led to hooker Martley Bayman diving over for their first try.

Pressure continued by the Free Staters and their lead increased to 11-5 when fullback Marchall Andrews converted. Framesby flyhalf Jaundre Liebenberg reciprocated to reduce the lead to 11-8.

Centre Keith van Aswegen scored two tries minutes apart, both converted by Andrews, to take Welkom into a healthy 25-8 lead at half-time.

Framesby came out in the second half, moving the ball trying to tire the heavy Welkom forwards. They were rewarded with two tries in the first 20 minutes of the half, to reduce the deficit to 18-25 as neither was converted.

The first went to hooker William Moffat after some forward interplay and the second where Moffat was stopped just short, but wing Tiaan Smith was on hand to dot down.

A tense and exciting finish saw flank Ruan du Preez going over for Framesby with just 30 seconds remaining. The try was converted by Liebenberg to tie the second game 25-25.

Point scorers:
Welkom Gimnasium: Bayman (5), Van Aswegen (5,5), Human (3), Andrews (3,2,2)
Framesby: Finnis (5), Moffatt (5), Smith (5), Du Preez (5), Liebenberg (3,2)

GAME 3
SELBORNE COLLEGE 29 – 10 HOERSKOOL NOORD-KAAP

Selborne College, who is at the festival for the 12th consecutive time, used their forward power to win the majority of the possession and territory. Noord-Kaap spent most of the first half defending. Selborne scored three tries and were over the line on two other occasions, but Noord-Kaap defence prevented them dotting down.

The first Selborne try was scored by lock Grant Pretorius, and well converted by Warrick Day. Fly-half Day converted the second try scored by eighth-man Raiden Masters for a 14-0 lead.

The third try came in the last minute of the half, when prop forward Dylan Minnaar dived over. This time it was not converted, for a 19-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw Noord-Kaap winning more ball and this enabled their swift backline to make a bigger impression. They scored two tries on either side of a fourth Selborne try. The first was to fullback Elzandro Fredericks and the second by wing Jacquin van Wyk. The Selborne try was by flank Jarrod Taylor.

Selborne continued with their pressure and they were rewarded when prop Loyiso Peteni went over in the corner for a 29-10 win.

Point scorers:
Selborne: Masters (5), Taylor (5), Pretorius (5), Peteni (5), Minnaar (5), Day (2,2)
Noord-Kaap: Fredericks (5), Van Wyk (5)

GAME 4
HTS MIDDELBURG 14 – 19 HTS DROSTDY

An evenly matched first half saw HTS Drostdy from Worcester scoring just before half-time for a 19-14 lead. The two sides had each scored twice before the try that gave Drostdy the lead.

Fullback Keane Galant had shown a clean pair of heels in scoring two tries, both converted by Carlton Pietersen. HTS Middelburg’s first try went to hooker Rivaldo de Kock following a rolling maul. The second went to centre Christiaan Vlok with an intercept in the Drostdy 22m area. Both were converted by flyhalf Alec Vermaak.

Drostdy took the lead when flank Wynand du Plessis burst through the defence to dive over for an unconverted try and a 19-14 lead.

The second half saw no further points as the two competitive sides made every attempt to score but good defence prevented them doing so, leaving the final score 19-14 to HTS Drostdy.

Point scorers:
HTS Drostdy: Galant (5,5), Du Plessis (5), Mostert (2,2)
HTS Middelburg: Vlok (5), De Kock (5), Vermaak (2,2)

GAME 5
GLENWOOD 27 – 26 DR EG JANSEN

In a hard-fought physical encounter between Glenwood and Dr EG Jansen, back after missing last year, the game was on a knife edge for the last quarter. Glenwood went into a slender one-point lead for a brief period before EG Jansen snatched it back. Glenwood did not give up and scored in the final seconds to win the nail-biter.

The first half was just three minutes old when EG Jansen centre Duane Bloem burst through to score and, with a good conversion by Kyle Potgieter, saw the visitors from Boksburg 7-0 in front.

They extended their lead midway through the half when flyhalf Potgieter saw the defence open in front of him, allowing a dot down under the uprights for an easy conversion and a 14-0 lead.

Glenwood did not lie down and came back to score in the last seconds of the half, when centre Lehlohonolo Litabe dived over, converted by Jordan Hendrikse, for a 7-14 score at half time.

The game was played at a fast pace, and the tackles were ferocious, which led to handling mistakes by both sides. A kick ahead by EG Jansen, a mistake in the defence in the red zone and prop forward Branden Pienaar stormed over for a try. The conversion was surprisingly missed but EG Jansen were 19-7 up.

Glenwood moved the ball through a number of hands; and it was centre Martino van Wyk who managed to get over the line, converted by Hendrikse, who added a penalty shortly after Glenwood to trail by just two points at 17-19.

A long 40m penalty by Hendrikse put Glenwood into a 20-19 lead with five minutes remaining.

EG Jansen came storming back when hooker Kyle Pepler ran 40m down the touch line to score a converted try in the corner, and with that the lead changed back to EG Jansen 26-20.

Glenwood were determined and with time up on the clock they fed the ball left and Steven Gibb went over in the corner. Hendrickse needed to thread the needle from the touchline; and this he did to give Glenwood a 27-26 win in an outstandingly exciting finish.

Point scorers:
EG Jansen: Potgieter (2,5,2,2), Pepler (5), Pienaar (5), Bloem (5)
Glenwood: Van Wyk (5), Litabe (5), Gibb (5), Hendrickse (2,3,2,2,3)

GAME 6
DHS 12 – 34 HOERSKOOL TRANSVALIA

The final game on the first day of KERF was between locals DHS and Hoerskool Transvalia, making their first visit to the festival. It was a case of ‘if only’ for DHS who made too many mistakes and these were capitalised on by the boys from Vanderbijlpark.

Transvalia managed to score three tries in the first half. It took 19 minutes before the first points when flank Christiaan Burger dotted down. Four minutes later lock Marno Swanepoel showing good skills went over and this time flyhalf Shaun Christie converted. He also converted the next try that was scored by lock Gareth Graham to take Transvalia into a 19-0 lead at the break.

From the kick off flank Brian Dosemba stormed 50m, breaking two tackles to open the scoring for DHS.

Transvalia, looking the more accomplished with ball in hand, scored again when prop Anrich Botes stormed over. This was followed a few minutes later as centre Ronan Elhers beat the defence to dot down, but neither was converted, leaving Transvalia 29-5 ahead.

With conditions becoming fairly dark, DHS handling seemed to improve. Transvalia had however added to their try tally when fullback Marnus Theunissen dotted down. With the scoreboard shining brightly, DHS centre Nhlakanipho Nene rounded the defence to score under the poles, converted by Ngobeni Dlamini for a final score of 12-34.

Try scorers:
Transvalia: Burger (5), Ehlers (5), Swanepoel (5), Botes (5), Graham (5), Theunissen (5), Christie (2,2)
DHS: Nene (5), Dosemba (5), Dlamini (2)

DAY 2: 20 April 2019
KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL 2019

GAME 1
HOERSKOOL NOORD-KAAP 27-21 HTS MIDDELBURG

In the first match on the second day of the Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, played in glorious autumn sunshine between Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and HTS Middelburg, both teams were keen to get their first win at the festival.

Noord-Kaap held a slender three-point lead at halftime, although they looked the more dangerous with ball in hand. Wing Jacquin van Wyk opened the scoring after just five minutes, when he used his pace to round the defense scoring near the touchline. A great conversion by captain and fullback Elzandro Fredericks put them into a 7-0 lead.

This was held for most of the half until Middelburg capitalized on a handling mistake by Noord-Kaap. The ball passed through a few players before wing Quintino October scored under the uprights, giving Justin Botha an easy two pointer and narrowing the gap to 7-10.

An entertaining second half saw a resurgent Middelburg come back and, with five tries scored in the second half, the appreciative crowd became increasingly vocal. Play swung from touch-line to touch-line with both sides giving their best.

Alec Vermaak scored and converted to put Middelburg 14-10 in front. Bradley Human replied for Noord-Kaap scoring wide out, changing the lead to 15-14.

JP Esterhuysen put HTS back in front with a good hard running try, converted by Vermaak, to make it 21-15.

Noord-Kaap did not stop trying and came back with a try by hooker Devin Steenkamp, converted by S Daniels, to end the exciting game 27-21 ahead.

Point scorers:
Noord-Kaap: Tries Van Wyk, Steenkamp, Human (2); Conversions: Fredericks, Daniels; Penalty: Fredericks
HTS Middelburg: Tries October, Vermaak, Esterhuysen; Conversions: Botha (2), Vermaak

GAME 2
TRANSVALIA 17 – 22 PRETORIA BOYS HIGH

In contrast to the earlier game, the second game of Day 2 between Hoerskool Transvalia and Pretoria Boys High saw few points in the first half. At the break it was Transvalia leading 5-3.

Pretoria were the first to score with a penalty by Jaden Collaros. Transvalia’s scrumhalf Dewald Stooplead. Both teams came close to scoring again but mistakes in the final pass prevented any further points.

The scores were levelled midway through the second half when Transvalia’s wing Dian de Villiers picked up a difficult pass to dive over. With just 10 minutes remaining, prop Wandile Madodonke barged over from a lineout and again the conversion was wide, but Pretoria Boys led 15-10.

Boys High sealed the game when Collaros went over under the poles as he added the extra points to lead 22-10 with minutes remaining.

In the final move of the game after concerted pressure in the red zone, Transvalia’s prop Willem Coertzen barged over, converted by fullback Lee-Andrew du Preez, to bring Transvalia to within five points of Boys High.

The second half was more entertaining but Boys High used their chances better for the 22-17 win.

Point scorers:
Pretoria Boys: Tries Caldwell, Madodonke, Collaros; Conversions Collaros (2); Penalty Collaros
Transvalia: Tries Stoop, De Villiers, Coertzen; Conversions Du Preez (2)

GAME 3
KEARSNEY COLLEGE 21 – 26 HOERSKOOL FRAMESBY

The third match of the day saw hosts Kearsney College taking on Hoërskool Framesby, a well-conditioned unit from Port Elizabeth.

Framesby opened the score with a try by eighth-man Ruan Claassen, converted by Juandre Liebenberg, for a 7-point lead after two minutes.

Kearsney came back with a try from a penalty close to the try-line, when fullback Derick Marshall burst over and, with the successful conversion by Cade Carmichael, the scores were level 7-7.

With Framesby winning the lion’s share of the ball, two further tries were scored, the first by flank Christo Grobler and the second by fullback Sebastian Brandt. This time Liebenberg converted to give Framesby a 19-7 lead, which they held until the break.

Early in the second half hooker William Moffat ran 30m after forwards had dominated, to score under the uprights. Liebenberg converted once again for Framesby to lead 26-7.

With 10 minutes remaining Kearsney fullback Marshall broke through a number of tackles and, from a subsequent ruck, the ball went to centre Luke Wilson who sniped through, scoring under the crossbar. Jordan Bamber converted and Kearsney had narrowed the gap to 14-26.

In an entertaining finish Kearsney kept the pressure on Framesby and centre Connor de Bruyn scored, converted by Bamber, to bring their points to 21-26.

Point scorers:
Framesby: Tries Brandt, Claassen, Grobler, Moffat; Conversions Liebenberg (3)
Kearsney: Tries Wilson, Marshall, De Bruyn; Conversions Carmichael, Bamber (2)

GAME 4
WELKOM GIMNASIUM 32 – 16 HTS DROSTDY

A low-scoring first half between HTS Drostdy and Welkom Gim saw the boys from Worcester 9-5 in the lead after three penalties by Carlton Pietersen. It was a try by hooker Martley Bayman that gave Welkom their points.

The second half began with a second try by Bayman, his third of the festival, to put Welkom in front again. Wing Angelo Olivier showed good pace in rounding the cover defence to score again for Welkom, this time converted by fullback Marchall Andrews, to increase the lead to 17-9.

Drostdy came right back when centre Zach le Roux got over in the corner, converted by Pietersen, to narrow the deficit to one point 16-17.

Welkom managed to move the ball rapidly to the left, finding fullback Andrews and he beat the defence to score in the corner. Flank Macneil Matthews took over the kicking duties from Andrews and showed good skill converting from the touchline, giving his team a cushion and a 24-16 lead.

With three minutes remaining, Welkom centre Keith van Aswegen beat the defenders with good pace to increase the lead to 29-16. A final penalty by Andrews completed a 32-16 win by Welkom.

Point scorers:
Drostdy: Try Le Roux; Conversion Pietersen; Penalties Pietersen (3)
Welkom: Tries Andrews, Van Aswegen, Olivier, Bayman (2); Conversion Andrews; Penalties Andrews, Matthews

GAME 5
DHS 12 –39 DR EG JANSEN

After a full day of running rugby and a darkening sky, two jerseys, both navy and yellow, made it difficult for the referee and spectators alike. EG Jansen did have a yellow stripe over the shoulders which helped slightly.

The visitors to KZN went into a 3-0 lead after five minutes when Kyle Potgieter converted a penalty. This was increased five minutes later, when flank Jandre Odendaal showed pace and strength to dot down, but the conversion was inside, leaving EG Jansen 8-0 up.

With DHS defending and EG running with the ball, an intercept by Brian Dosemba led to an 80m dash to score under the poles, which Shakir la Douce converted, bringing the score to 7-8 which remained until the halftime whistle.

Early in the second half, a mistake by the DHS defence saw a pop kick land in the hands of Odendaal who strolled over for his second try, converted by Potgieter, for a 15-7 lead.

EG Jansen eighth-man Franco Enslin beat the defence to score and increase their lead to 20-7.

With DHS’ heads beginning to sag, prop Brandon Pienaar forced his way over, this time converted by Jason Edward, for the Boksburg boys to lead 27-7.

DHS responded when centre Macneil Jenner scored after a move down the left flank to increase their score to 12.

EG Jansen were not finished though, and flyhalf Leshley October dotted down to increase their lead to 32-12. With time up on the clock, Duane Bloem scored the final try, converted by Edwards, for a 39-12 win.

Point scorers:
EG Jansen: Tries Odendaal (2), Enslin, Pienaar, October, Bloem; Conversions Potgieter, Edwards (2); Penalty Potgieter
DHS: Tries Dosember, Jenner; Conversion La Douce

GAME 6
GLENWOOD – SELBORNE COLLEGE (No result – game abandoned)

The game many were anticipating between Glenwood and Selborne, last played in 2013, was the final game of the second day. Both teams had been victorious in earlier matches, Glenwood snatching a win against EG Jansen in the final seconds, whilst Selborne won comfortably against Noord-Kaap.

An early penalty in the game by Warrick Day put Selborne into a 3-0 lead. JP van Zyl on the wing scored a try a little while later, to increase the lead to 8-0. Lock Grant Pretorius stormed over midway in the half, converted by Day, for Selborne to lead 15-0.

Glenwood then scored a typical Glenwood try, when the ball passed through a number of hands ending with prop Blaine Golden scoring, converted by Jordan Hendrikse. Glenwood were back in the game 7-15 down at halftime.

Shortly after the break in dark conditions, Hendrikse narrowed the gap to 10-15 when he converted a long penalty from close to the touchline.

With lightning in the vicinity and the alarm sounding, the match was sadly suspended, and it was later decided the game should be abandoned.

Point scorers:
Selborne: Tries Van Zyl, Pretorius; Conversion Day; Penalty Day
Glenwood: Try Golden; Conversion Hendrickse; Penalty Hendrickse

KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL 2019
THIRD DAY MATCH REPORTS

GAME 1
HOERSKOOL NOORD KAAP 24 – 21 DR EG JANSEN

After heavy rain over the past 24 hours, damp overcast conditions met the players from Noord-Kaap and Dr EG Jansen when they ran out for today’s first game, but the Stott field was firm underfoot. Both teams were looking for a second victory after they had each lost their first game and won their second.

EG Jansen were more effective when they kept the game tight, because Noord-Kaap backline always looked dangerous on attack, as long as their forwards gave them good ball.

The first try came 12 minutes into the game when Jansen set up a maul, rumbling 15m forward and their hooker Kyle Pepler went over, converted by Kyle Potgieter, for a 7-0 lead. Noord-Kaap centre Keano Windvogel broke the defensive line, passing to his captain and fullback Elzandro Fredericks who scored out wide, narrowing the gap to 5-7.

EG Jansen again did what they do best, another maul, another try, again by hooker Pepler, and again converted by Potgieter, to increase the lead to 14-5.

Noord-Kaap hit back, moving the ball amongst the backs. Wing Jacquin van Wyk sliced through the defence to score, thereby reducing the deficit to 12-14, after a successful conversion by Corne du Plessis.

Just before half-time there was another break, ending with wing Moemagare Molete scoring in the corner for Noord-Kaap to lead at the break.

The second half was only minutes old when Molete scored his second try to take the lead to 24-14 with the conversion by Du Plessis.

EG Jansen replacement flyhalf Keagan Balfour broke the defence to score, converted by Potgieter, to make it a three-point game 21-24 for the final 10 minutes.

In the final seconds, EG Jansen looked as though they may have won, but the ball was dropped on the line by their wing, giving Noord-Kaap the victory in a highly entertaining game.

Point scorers:
Hoerskool Noord-Kaap: Tries Fredericks, Van Wyk, Molete (2); Conversions Du Plessis (2)
Dr EG Jansen: Tries Pepler (2), Balfour; Conversions Potgieter (3)

GAME 2
HTS MIDDELBURG 32 – 27 PRETORIA BOYS HIGH

Pretoria Boys High were looking for their third win at the festival when they came up against HTS Middelburg, hungry for their first win. It was Middelburg who made the best of their chances to take a 19-8 lead at the break. Pretoria had a number of chances, but a mistake in the last move prevented more than one try from them.

Flank Jandre Kleyn opened the scoring with a try for HTS; and this was followed by Jaden Collaros converting a penalty. Impressive wing Quintino October then scored the first of his two tries, for Middelburg to go into a 12-3 lead.

Pretoria had some sustained pressure in the red zone with wing Bradley Mayekiso diving over to reduce the lead to 8-12. Pretoria Boys could rue the chances that they let slip and it was October, scoring his second try of the match, this time converted by Alec Vermaak, for HTS to lead 19-8 going into the break.

Some good handling led to HTS opening the scoring in the second half, when centre Christiaan Vlok scored, converted by Vermaak, to increase the lead to 26-8.

This seemed to wake up the Pretoria forwards and they were rewarded when centre Mikhail Edwards held on to the ball, broke through a tackle and ran 30m to score. Midway through the half, Edwards was again on hand to score his second try, this time converted by Justin Cross, to narrow the gap to 20-26. Two penalties converted by Vermaak increased the HTS lead to 32-20.

Boys High came back with Edwards scoring his hat-trick under the poles for an easy conversion by Cross to give them hope at 27-32. It was not to be; after another great game with plenty of movement ended with HTS Middelburg getting their first win of the festival in an exciting finish.

Point scorers:
HTS Middelburg: Tries October (2), Vlok, Kleyn; Conversions Vermaak (3); Penalties Vermaak (2)
Pretoria Boys High: Tries Mayekiso, Edwards (3); Conversions Cross (2); Penalty Collaros

GAME 3
SELBORNE COLLEGE 20 – 14 FRAMESBY

The third match on the final day was a much-anticipated game between two Eastern Cape powerhouse teams, Selborne College and Hoerskool Framesby. The two evenly matched teams spent most of the first half playing in midfield, with defensive patterns preventing either side from getting near the try-line.

The first points came after 20 minutes when Warrick Day converted a penalty for Selborne to lead 3-0. Five minutes later, Selborne centre Mtunsa Maponsela broke through the defence to score under the crossbar, converted by Day, for Selborne to lead 10-0 at the break.

The second half livened up after coaches had had their say at halftime and it was Framesby prop Luhan Fourie who went over. The reliable boot of Jaundre Liebenberg added the extra points to narrow the lead to three points.

Selborne’s Day converted his second penalty for Selborne to lead 13-7. Framesby came close to scoring but Selborne’s defences held.

A clever kick through the advancing defence saw wing Lawula Bata touch down just ahead of the Framesby defence. Day converted for the East Londoners to lead 20-7. In the final move of the game Fourie scored his second try for Framesby, well converted from the touchline by Liebenberg.

The game was won by Selborne 20-14 for their second festival win, after their Saturday fixture against Glenwood was abandoned due to lightning.

Scores:
Selborne: Tries Maponsela, Bata; Conversions Day (2); Penalties Day (2)
Framesby: Tries Fourie (2); Conversions Liebenberg (2)

GAME 4
DHS 19 – 27 HTS DROSTDY

The first of the KZN sides to play today, DHS played against HTS Drostdy from the Western Cape. The latter had won their first game against Middelburg, but lost their second match against Welkom Gim. DHS were looking for their first victory, having lost to Transvalia and EG Jansen.

Drostdy opened the scoring with a penalty by flyhalf Carlton Pietersen after just five minutes. DHS scrumhalf Jayden Cederos chipped ahead for Sim Ngcobo to dot down ahead of the defence, to take a 7-3 lead after a successful conversion by Ngobani Dlamini. Drostdy’s Pietersen converted his second penalty to narrow the gap to one point.

Centre Roann Jansen picked up the ball after a kick ahead to score under the poles and with Pietersen converting the lead changed to Drostdy 13-7 ahead.

Shortly thereafter Brian Dosemba went over in a flurry of bodies to narrow the gap to 12-13 and then a break by Pietersen fed fullback Keane Galant who scored leaving an easy conversion for Pietersen to make the half-time score 20-12 to Drostdy.

DHS were the first to score in the second half when Kaid O’Neill scored for DHS, converted by Ngobani Dlamini to again make it a one-point game 19-20.

The Cape boys increased their lead when flank Wynand du Plessis scored again, converted by Pietersen, for a 27-19 lead. Rain started falling, which made handling more difficult. Both teams came close to scoring again, but the board remained 27-19 to Drostdy, giving them their second win at the festival.

Point scorers:
DHS: Tries Dosember, O’Neill, Ngcobo; Conversions Dlamini (2)
Drostdy: Tries Jansen, Du Plessis, Galant; Conversions Pietersen (3); Penalties Pietersen (2)

GAME 5
GLENWOOD 38 – 7 TRANSVALIA

With rain falling steadily, the conditions were not conducive to running rugby and yet Glenwood’s handling was only slightly affected. Mistakes in the wet by visitors Transvalia cost them points as the Glenwood boys were quick to counter attack. This led to tries against the run of play.

Transvalia scored in the first five minutes following a maul, with hooker Bernard du Plessis breaking from the back to dive over, for a converted try by Shaun Christie for the early 7-0 lead.

A penalty by Jordan Hendrickse made it 3-7. Glenwood, more adept in the wet, scored their first try when centre Martino van Wyk broke through, again converted by Hendrickse, for Glenwood to lead 10-7.

A kick ahead, a gather and wing Carlo Cloete sped away from the defence to score in the corner. Again Hendrikse split the upright from the touchline conversion for a 17-7 lead. Two further converted tries, first by flank Ethan Smit and the second by hooker Sikholisa Nanto, saw Glenwood into a comfortable 31-7 lead at the break.

When play restarted, the mist was billowing in and conditions worsened. The rugby however continued to enthrall, with good running and good defence. Glenwood scored again through fullback Steven Gibb, and with the conversion, Glenwood led 38-7, which became the final score of the match.

Scores:
Glenwood: Tries: Smit, Cloete, Van Wyk, Nonto, Gibb; Conversions Hendrikse (5); Penalty Hendrikse
Drostdy: Try Du Plessis; Conversion Christie

GAME 6
KEARSNEY 8 – 21 WELKOM GIMNASIUM

The final game of the 12th Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival was between hosts Kearsney College and Welkom Gim. Conditions were not good which perhaps did Kearsney a favour. That Welkom scored just two tries compared with the eight scored in their first two games, illustrates the point.

Kearsney opened the scoring with an early penalty by Jordan Bamber. Welkom Gim backs could not use their normal running style, so knock-ons and losing their footing enabled Kearsney to stay competitive.

Lock Christo Steyn managed to force his way over for Welkom’s opening try which was converted by Marchall Andrews for the Free State side to lead 7-3. The rest of the half saw Welkom coming close, but they could not add to their tally, leaving the halftime score 7-3.

With conditions darkening, and thick mist coming in again, the rugby was a forwards game. Kearsney stood up and eighthman Massimo Fierro opened the scoring in the second half, going over in a flurry of bodies in the corner. This put the hosts 8-7 in front with 20 minutes remaining.

Welkom were awarded a penalty and Andrews added the three points to put his side into a 10-8 lead; with the mist making it difficult to see across the field at this stage. This lead was increased when Andrews converted his second penalty and Welkom led 13-8 with 13 minutes remaining.

A try was scored in the far corner by Welkom wing Morne Maastriet, which increased the lead to 18-8. Andrews was deadly with his boot even in these conditions and he added his third penalty to lead 21-8.

Kearsney pressed for the last few minutes but could not get over the line, leaving Welkom deserved winners by 21-8.

Point scorers:
Welkom: Tries Steyn, Maastriet; Conversion: Andrews; Penalties: Andrews (3)
Kearsney: Try Fierro; Penalty: Bamber