DHS downs Maritzburg College in King Price Derby Series clash
Durban High School (DHS) welcomed Maritzburg College to Van Heerden’s Field on Saturday, with a large crowd in attendance for the King Price Derby Series clash of the traditional rivals.
After a slow start to the game, DHS took charge and ran in four tries to one to score a convincing 29-13 victory.
School was on the scoreboard first with an early penalty, which was slotted by flyhalf Jordan van Wyk. College, though, responded with successive penalties by Adam Cahill to take a 6-3 lead.
Van Wyk had an opportunity to level in the 18th minute, but he was wide of the mark with his kick at goal.
It took until the 32nd minute for the first try of the game to be scored and it went the way of DHS after a searing counterattack from just inside their half, which was set up by a superb kick pass out wide to the left from Zingce Simka.
The ball went neatly to hand and immediately created an overlap for the Horseflies. College’s cover defence scrambled to close down the danger, but flank Daniel Ikotela read the situation perfectly and passed back on his inside to centre Zenkosi Mthiyane, who turned on the afterburners and went over in the left-hand corner.
With the defences of the Red, Black, and White having at last been breached, DHS struck again within two minutes. After College failed to deal with a high kick, the home team’s Craven Week scrumhalf Marcwin Nero gathered the ball, kicked ahead, and then won the race for the ball to crash over for another five points. Van Wyk tacked on two more to give DHS a 17-6 half-time lead.
DHS extended their advantage early in the second half when, after a series of pick and goes, which drew in the College defenders, School let the ball go wide to the left, where left-wing Nathan Aneka took the scoring pass and went over for a try. Van Wyk, again, knocked over the conversion.
The momentum was with DHS, and it looked as if College could be in for a big defeat. Credit to the visitors, though, because they stemmed the tide, although they were assisted by some poor handling in scoring positions by the hosts, just when it appeared they would add to their tally.
“I’m a bit disappointed with our finishing,” DHS coach Peter Engledow admitted after the game. “No disrespect to College, but we should have put them away today and scored two or three more tries.”
It took DHS another 22 minutes to increase their lead, and it came from another pinpoint crosskick. It was set up by a fierce assault from the DHS forwards on the College try line, with the visitors’ pack doing a magnificent job of keeping the locals from crossing the line.
However, when the ball was passed back to fullback Cilermo Carolus, he found Mulisithando George with a beautifully judged kick to the right touchline and he applied the finishing touch.
“It is something that we have started working on,” DHS coach Engledow said about the kick passes. “That worked quite well for us.”
Almost the entire half had been played in the Maritzburg College half. However, when they forced their way onto DHS’s side of the field, near the end of the game, they made it count.
After being awarded a penalty 10 metres from the Horseflies’ line, scrumhalf Rylan Armoed made as if to pass to the left, but he then released the ball to his right to loosehead prop Indiphile Mlotshwa. He offloaded in a tackle to College captain Wasi Vyambwera, who ran a good line to steam onto the ball in a gap. Mthiyane did his best to stop the number eight, but College, at last, had a five-pointer.
Cahill added the extras and shortly thereafter it finished 29-13 in favour of DHS, who bagged a second win of the season after romping to a 63-8 victory at Voortrekker, in Bethlehem, last week.
“We’re happy to get the win. To win at home and to have all the supporters behind us was nice,” DHS coach Peter Engledow commented.
“It’s number four for us as a team over College and that makes me smile.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing, he admitted. “I’m disappointed that our set piece didn’t function too well. We lost lots of lineouts. Even when they didn’t go up, we lost the ball.
“We lost our hooker Okuhle Mbanjwa in the week. He was concussed, so Duhan [du Plessis] stepped up. It was tough for him, and it was his first cap as well. It’s difficult.”
After a 16-point win, which Engeldow said he would gladly have taken if he had been offered it before the game, he was satisfied: “I am very proud of my management team. We’ve worked hard for five months in the pre-season. When matchday doesn’t go according to plan, you’re a bit disappointed, but, at the end of the day, they’re schoolboys.
“If you look around, they were well supported, and we got the win. It’s good.”
Maritzburg College will have better days. They faced a DHS team that, again, looks like a quality outfit and is likely to challenge for the number one position in KwaZulu-Natal. They also had the advantage of playing a match last weekend, while it was College’s first outing.
Next weekend, DHS visits Michaelhouse, while College hosts Northwood in their home opener.
POINTS SCORERS
DHS 29 (17) – Tries: Zenkosi Mthiyane, Marcwin Nero, Nathan Aneke, Milisuthando George. Conversions: Jordan van Wyk (3). Penalty: Jordan van Wyk. Maritzburg College 13 (6) – Try: Wasi Vyambwera. Conversion: Adam Cahill. Penalties: Adam Cahill (2).
RESULTS
u19 – DHS I 29 Maritzburg College I 13; DHS II 22 Maritzburg College 15; DHS III 5 Maritzburg College III 7; DHS IV 12 Maritzburg College IV 5; DHS V 14 Maritzburg College V 17; DHS VI 0 Maritzburg College VI 32; Michaelhouse VII 7 Maritzburg College VII 14; Michaelhouse VIII 5 Maritzburg College 24; Hilton College VII 33 Maritzburg College IX 0; Michaelhouse IX 5 Maritzburg College X 3; Hilton College VII 33 Maritzburg College XI 7.
u16 – DHS A 25 Maritzburg College A 23; DHS B 7 Maritzburg College B 0; DHS C 9 Maritzburg College C 14; DHS D 3 Maritzburg College D 19; DHS E 7 Maritzburg College E 27; Westville E 12 Maritzburg College F 27
u15 – DHS A 19 Maritzburg College A 7; DHS B 24 Maritzburg College B 7; DHS C 14 Maritzburg College C 15; DHS D 10 Maritzburg College D 34; DHS E – Maritzburg College E 63; Westville E 21 Maritzburg College F 7
u14 – DHS A 5 Maritzburg College A 22; DHS B 17 Maritzburg College B 0; DHS C 15 Maritzburg College C 7; DHS D 14 Maritzburg College D 12; DHS E 33 Maritzburg College E 31; Westville E 36 Maritzburg College F 12; Westville F 29 Maritzburg College G 17.
