Wins again for Kearsney and Glenwood

The tournament hosts managed another impressive win in a high scoring affair with SACS. Meanwhile Glenwood had to work hard for a tighly-contested win over HTS Middelburg.

Maritzburg College endured their second loss of the weekend as they went down to Selborne College. 

Check out the match report for the respective matches from day two below:

MARITZBURG COLLEGE 7 – 18 SELBORNE COLLEGE

This was a game where Maritzburg College had to improve from their first game, and this they did.  Both teams gave their all but it was Selborne College which had the better game overall to score two tries to one.

Early pressure by the heavier Selborne forwards was annulled by some good College defence.  It was Selborne who scored the first points when flyhalf David Coetzer dashed around the blind-side of a ruck to dive over in the corner.  He failed with the conversion leaving Selborne 5-0 in front.

Some brave tackling by College kept Selborne from scoring any further points.  College had a chance of opening their score with a long range penalty which fell just sort of the crossbar.  Selborne knocked on under their posts so a 5m scrum was awarded to College.  The ball went wide and wing Ayanda Duma went over.  Ruben van Blerk succeeded with the conversion for College to lead 7-5.

On the stroke of half-time Coetzer was successful with a 45m penalty to give Selborne an 8-7 lead at the break.

Despite a dubious yellow card at the kick-off awarded by the assistant referee, College held Selborne until a second penalty was awarded and Selborne went 11-7 ahead.  From the kick-off it was Selborne who moved the ball, ending with wing Joshua Armstrong scoring in the corner.  Coetzer converted from the touch line to go further ahead 18-7.

College tried their best and were in the Selborne 22m area for the last five minutes of the game; but handling let them down with a number of attempts to cross the line.

Scores:

Selborne: Tries: Coetzer, Armstrong; Conversion: Coetzer; Penalties: Coetzer (2)

Maritzburg College: Try: Duma; Conversion: Van Blerk

KEARSNEY COLLEGE 39 – 36 SACS

In contrast to the previous game with big forwards tussling in the tight loose, the match between Kearsney and SACS saw plenty of running, with the lead changing four times before half-time and twice later in a superb game of schoolboy running rugby.

SACS had the better in both possession and territory for the first quarter as they put Kearsney under pressure.  Just after the kick-off, hooker Lance Steytler broke free, passing to wing Zolani Masembathe who rounded the defence in the corner for the five-pointer.  Jordy Hop added the two points for the early 7-0 lead. 

It took the home side 20 minutes before they got on the board with a penalty from fullback James Sutherland.

The Cape Town side went further ahead after centre Hop scored at a ruck and he added the two points for SACS to lead 14-3.

Kearsney then got over their slumber and started winning more of the ball.  It was eighth-man Brad Erlich who broke through the defences and passed to centre Cameron Craze who had an easy run to the line.  Sutherland converted, leaving Kearsney four points behind SACS. 

Erlich again broke through the SACS defence, this time to score the try which Sutherland converted for Kearsney to go into a 17-14 lead.

SACS gained the lead again when centre Chad van der Loo broke through the Kearsney defence to score, but the conversion went wide, for SACS to sneak back into a 19-17 lead.

Kearsney lock Jared Meyer then powered his way over, following a line-out, and again the lead changed with a successful conversion for Kearsney to lead 24-19. 

On the stroke of half-time Hop succeeded with a penalty to leave them trailing Kearsney, who remained two points ahead. 

The second half continued at the same pace with the ball moving through the hands as both teams had attacking movements.

SACS took back the lead mid-way in the second half when wing Aaron Zeederberg scored after a good line movement.  Hop made sure with the conversion and went back into a 29-24 lead. 

There were another three tries by both sides as play swung from end to end with the lead again changing hands twice, before Kearsney eventually won 39-36 in a cracking game. 

Van der Loo scored his second for SACS; and Matthew Watts and Luke Croshaw scored for Kearsney.  One of the latter was converted by Sutherland to snatch back the lead in the last five minutes.

Scores:

Kearsney: Tries: Craze, Erlich, Meyer, Croshaw; Conversions: Sutherland (5); Penalties: Sutherland (3)

SACS: Tries: Van der Loo (2), Hop, Zeederberg (2); Conversions: Hop (4); Penalties: Hop

GLENWOOD 17– 6 HTS MIDDELBURG

The second match of the morning was a frenetic game with evenly matched forwards giving their all and some huge tackles preventing more than just two tries.

Glenwood put early pressure on HTS Middelburg.  Stout defence kept Glenwood from scoring as forwards matched forwards.  When the ball emerged from a ruck it was passed out to centre Seun Maduna who drove through a tackle to score.  The conversion by Martin Hotzhausen was successful, to give Glenwood a 7-0 lead.

Middelburg did not lie down and they came back, but it was again good defence by Glenwood which kept the Durban side in the lead.  Neither side could get across the line, leaving the half-time score 7-0 to Glenwood.

The intensity of the clashes continued in the second half and it was only penalties that added to the score-line for 25 minutes of the second half.  One penalty by Holzhausen and two by Ryan Cloete, after each had missed one, left Glenwood narrowly in the lead.

Just three minutes from the final whistle Glenwood’s centre Holtzhausen managed to crawl over for a try which he converted for a 17-6 win.

Scores:

Glenwood: Tries: Maduna, Holtzhausen; Conversions: Holtzhausen (2); Penalties: Holtzhausen (2)

HTS Middelburg: Penalties: Cloete (2)

HOERSKOOL FRAMESBY 17 – 46 DALE COLLEGE

The first match on the second day of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival started with a moment’s silence in honour of Blake Kerdachi, the Grade 11 Thomas More schoolboy who died after collapsing in the plane on their return from a rugby tour to Hong Kong.

The Eastern Cape derby, between Dale College from King Williams Town and Hoerskool Framesby from Port Elizabeth, started with Framesby attacking.  It was fullback Riann van Rensburg who was tackled just short of the try-line, but five minutes later he again created the overlap and broke through to dot down, for a 5-0 lead.

Dale then started dominating, quicker to the loose ball, getting across the advantage line and four tries were scored in quick succession.  The first and last of the four were by the two centres Sibulele Mbana and Siphamandla Matsinya.  A good run by scrumhalf Malwande Zamo led to a try under the posts and flank Kwanda Dimaza, who was prominent in both attack and defence, scored with a bullocking run, breaking a number of tackles.  Fullback Aphelele Fassi converted three of these.

It appeared as if Framesby were facing a big defeat but they rallied in the last five minutes of the half to score a try after a lineout, when flank Bernard McDonald scored.  The conversion from in front of the uprights went wide, leaving Dale 26-10 in front at the break.

The second half saw both sides having opportunities, but Framesby defence had tightened up and Dale made more mistakes.  The last quarter saw Dale again start to dominate.  First a long range penalty by Siphosethu Dlongodlongo, followed by a good sniping try, put Dale into a commanding 34-10 lead.  Three further tries followed by Dlongodlongo, one of which was converted. 

In the final minute Framesby lock Ruben le Roux forced his way over for a try, converted by Van Rensburg, to leave the score 46-17 in favour of Dale.

Scores:

Dale: Tries: Mbana, Dimaza, Zano, Matsinya, S Dlongodlongo (3); Conversions: S Dlongodlongo. Fassi (3); Penalties: Dlongodlongo

Framesby: Tries: Van Rensburg, McDonald, Le Roux; Conversion: Van Rensburg

FESTIVAL FIXTURES:

Day 3 – Monday 28 March

10h45 SACS v Selborne College; 12h00 - Hoërskool Framesby v Hoërskool Noord-Kaap; 13h15 Maritzburg College v Dr EG Jansen; 14h30 Glenwood v Dale College; 15h45 Kearsney v HTS Middelburg