Glenwood snatches win from Milnerton, Westville overpowers EG Jansen
Glenwood vs Milnerton
Joshua Kopp kicked a penalty after the final hooter to lift Glenwood High School to a 37-34 victory over Milnerton High School, who had staged a terrific fightback from 0-29 down halfway through the first half of their clash, on Saturday, at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, in Botha’s Hill.
Kopp opened the Green Machine’s account with a three-pointer before a Sthabiso Dube swan dive and Lian Lochner‘s blindside snipe put the KZN outfit firmly in the driver’s seat early on.
When No 12 Lizwe Mtetwa then ran in an interception, matters looked ominous, and it went from bad to worse for the Western Cape boys when wing Litha Tasana saw yellow at the resulting kick-off for a reckless challenge in the air.
Glenwood scored another try through their industrious flank Joshua Edwards to make it 29-0, but Milnerton, whose never-say-die spirit is a feature of their play, dramatically swung the momentum their way.
The boys in sky blue hit back hard with quickfire tries by the Sellidon twins – Chadwin and Chadlin – and Divine Ambrose, while a further penalty by Chadwin brought Milnerton right back into the contest at 24-29 at halftime.
Glenwood set up camp deep inside Milnerton’s territory after the resumption and the pressure told when Chadlin Sellidon copped his side’s second yellow for a deliberate knock-on in the red zone. After a prolonged period of attack, the Durban school, at last, opened their second-half account through Mvelo Ndwalane.
Milnerton was far from done, though, and Chadwin Sellidon snapped a superb drop goal minutes later – the first of the festival – before going on to score his second try, which he duly converted to make it 34-34. Very little time remained in the match.
Glenwood was able to mount a late attack, however, and, on the last play of the contest, they won a penalty, which Kopp slotted to seal an absolute doozy.
Westville Boys’ High vs Dr EG Jansen
Westville Boys’ High‘s superior tactical awareness powered them to a 36-5 win over Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in the fourth game of day two.
Jansies had narrowly knocked over the hosts, Kearsney College 29-24, on Thursday, while the Griffin cantered to a 31-0 opening win over Hoërskool Framesby.
Some thought it might be a hard-fought affair, but the Boksburg team struggled to play in the right areas and were often pinned back in their half by the astute tactical kicking of the local side.
Westville started like a house on fire, scoring within 30 seconds after fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya tore away down the right flank. An impressive lineout drive saw Brandon Eke go over to extend their lead, but EG Jansen retaliated through Craig Lightfoot.
Possession traded hands before Westville finished off another opportunity out wide through their speedy left-wing, Avumile Lisa.
Unlike that of their counterparts, Westville’s tactical kicking kept them playing the game in the right parts of the field, with Siyaya executing two immaculate 50/22s in the first half alone to heap the pressure on EG Jansen.
Jade-Will Koopman was on hand to add two more tries to the Westville tally before the break, showcasing exceptional acrobatics to complete his brace in the right-hand corner from a cross-kick in one of the tries of the festival.
The scoring slowed up after the break, with EG Jansen unable to convert any of their chances, while Phumula Xulu went over for Westville to seal a comfortable win for coach Zander Erasmus‘s boys.
SCORERS
Glenwood 37 (29) – Sthabiso Dube, Lian Lochner, Lizwe Mtetwa, Joshua Edwards, Mvelo Ndwalane. Conversions: Joshua Kopp (3). Penalties: Kopp (2); Milnerton 34 (24) – Tries: Chadwin Sellidon (2), Ambrose, Chadlin Sellidon. Conversions: Chadwin Sellidon (4). Penalty: Chadwin Sellidon. Drop goal: Chadwin Sellidon.
Westville 36 (29) – Tries: Jade-Will Koopman, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Brandon Eke, Phumula Xulu. Conversions: Koopman (3). Dr EG Jansen 5 (5) – Try: Craig Lightfoot.
