There are some big weeks ahead for Griffons-region powerhouse Bethlehem Voortrekker, as they hold high hopes of doing well in the Wesgrow Central Region competition for co-ed schools, followed by the Griffons final against Welkom Gimnasium who have been the leading school in that part of South Africa for several seasons now. Vories have been able to close the gap on Gimmies this season and should they prosper in that game, they will surely be the favourites to claim the Kovsies title a week later.
If I look at the results, I am unsure what the basis for the contention that “Vories have been able to close the gap on Gimmies this season” and “…they will surely be favourites…” could be. Welkom Gimnasium has won all their games in the Griffons League – including the two away games against the Bethlehem schools, Voortrekker and Witteberg. (Never an easy task!)
Whilst Voortrekker currently has a higher winning percentage than Gim, there is a vast difference in the quality of the teams they respectively played against – outside the ambit of the Griffons League.
It might be Gim’s worst team since 2015 but they are still a very well coached and skilfull team. They do not have a huge pack and their vulnerabilty would be in the scrums. That said, the whole team tackle like tigers, the forwards have almost as much skill as the backs and Gim’s speedsters are devastating from turnovers.
In the premises, I think it is a bit premature to earmark Voortrekker as the winners of this year’s Kovsie Trophy!
Geluk aan Betlehem met ‘n maklike wen gister.