Pringle’s pressure kick clinches classic for Nelspruit
A thrilling clash between Hoërskool Nelspruit’s brute forward power and the pace and agility of the Welkom Gimnasium backs delivered a gripping see-saw contest, which ultimately ended in a dramatic victory for the Rhinos on Thursday at the Standard Bank St John’s College Easter Festival.
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A penalty by scrumhalf, Liam Pringle, two minutes into stoppage time, sealed a tense 34–31 win for the Mbombela-based side after a pulsating encounter.
The battle between Nelspruit’s dominant forward pack and Welkom Gim’s slick backline made for 60 minutes of must-watch rugby.
The intensity noticeably escalated under the floodlights and set a high bar for the day’s two remaining fixtures.
Welkom Gimnasium’s outside centre, Nathan Muller, continued his fine form, crossing for a brace of tries, which further underlined why he has been a standout performer throughout the season.
His midfield partner, Byron Klaasin, alleviated pressure with excellent distribution and provided Muller with the front-foot ball he needed to torment the Nelspruit defence.
For the Rhinos, powerful number eight Vaughn van Zyl led the charge. As expected, he shouldered the bulk of the ball-carrying duties, leaving a trail of sore bodies in the Free Staters’ camp. Werno Heyns impressed with his relentless work rate.
At fly-half, John Duncan delivered another composed performance. His crisp distribution was instrumental in creating opportunities for the backline and played a crucial role in Nelspruit’s memorable win.
Earlier in the day, St David’s Marist Inanda made SACS work far harder for their win than anticipated. The Johannesburg school mounted a defensive effort of real grit, particularly in the second half, as the Capetonians laid siege to their 22. Despite the stiff resistance, SACS broke through on four occasions to secure a 28–3 victory.
True to the coaching manual, the Cape Town side’s forwards laid the platform for their attacking opportunities. However, they also produced several surges of their own, with Cameron Hirst capping off one of those movements by diving over for the opening try.
Inside centre Mike Skeeles demonstrated impeccable accuracy from the tee, converting all four of his side’s tries with ease.
SCORERS
Hoërskool Nelspruit 34 (12) – Tries: Werno Heyns, Tye Habib, Vaughn van Zyl, Ruben Greef, Tinyiko Silubane. Conversions: John Duncan (3). Penalty: Liam Pringle. Welkom Gimnasium 31 (10) – Tries: Nathan Muller (2), Rewaldo Farmer, Byron Klaasin. Conversions: Leano Williams (4). Penalty: Williams.
SACS 28 (21) – Tries: Cameron Hirst, Sipho Dyantji, Siphe Mbungendlu, Langa Moyo. Conversions: Mike Skeeles (4). St David’s Marist Inanda 3 (3) – Penalty: Luca Cabion.
