After a fast start, Maritzburg College takes victory at Michaelhouse
Michaelhouse returned to playing their home matches on Meadows on Saturday, and while their open age group teams fared well against Maritzburg College, the Red, Black, and White’s 1st XV captured a tight 31-25 victory on ‘House’s home field.
On a beautiful, mild winter’s day in the Midlands, the table was ideally laid for a rugby feast, and the teams obliged.
The opening points went the way of the visitors, who scored just before the 10-minute mark from what appeared to be a somewhat innocuous grubber in behind Michaelhouse’s blindside defence by Liyema Tsoko. Centre Jordan Thackwray had read his flyhalf’s idea perfectly, though, and he outstripped the ‘House cover defence to run onto a ball that sat up invitingly and then crash over for a try.
Dom du Toit, whose goal kicking has been even more reliable than that of his brother, 2023’s outstanding flyhalf, Luc du Toit, nailed the conversion attempt from out wide to make it 7-0.
Three minutes later, a Michaelhouse attack faltered when a pass failed to go to hand and College number eight, Wasi Vyambwera snapped up the ball just inside the home team’s half. With an eye-opening turn of pace, he accelerated and headed towards the try line. At the last moment, though, midway into the 22, Jack Carmody pulled off an ankle-tap to save a try.
Maritzburg College hit it up through four phases without success, but the boys in red and white had strayed offsides and Du Toit was left to knock over an easy penalty from in front of the uprights to make it 10-0 after 15 minutes.
A couple of minutes later, College was back on the hunt in Michaelhouse’s 22. From a lineout, they drove the home team backwards about 10 metres. Then, after letting the ball out to the backline, centre Olwethu Kosani shrugged off two would-be tacklers as he cut back against the grain. He found a little space and ran over the top of the last defender on the try line to score College’s third.
With Du Toit, as usual, on target with his kick, coach Nico Breedt‘s boys led 17-0 after 19 minutes.
Michaelhouse gradually clawed their way into the game, but they had to wait until two minutes from halftime to break their duck. When they did, they did it with outstanding execution from a lineout only five metres out. It began with a clean take by lock Daniel Carr, followed by Oliver Davis powering over from a well-directed rolling maul.
At halftime, it was Maritzburg College 17-5 Michaelhouse.
Early in the second half, ‘House set up shop in the College 22, inching their way towards the try line through the pick-and-go. When the visitors conceded a penalty, Dom Sesink-Clee took a quick tap. He was stopped short of the line, but he managed to free his hands and popped the ball out. It fell to ground but bounced up kindly for Alex Jankowitz, who gathered, spun around and burst over the line for a five-pointer.
It took almost 15 minutes before the scoreboard moved again. This time, though, it was Maritzburg College who scored. With the Red, Black, and White bashing away at their try line, Michaelhouse delivered some fearsome big hits, but College kept taking it to them. Eventually, Olwethu Kosani made the breakthrough, receiving the ball on an angle before diving low through a couple of tacklers to dot down for a second time.
Du Toit turned it into a seven-point play with a successful conversion to move the visitors 14 points clear at 24-10.
Alex Jankowitz, who gave College fits with his dangerous counterattacking play, then set up a superb try in the 52nd minute. After receiving a pass from Stefan Moolman inside the ‘House half, he evaded a tackle before drawing two more players to stop him. As he went to ground, though, the fullback flipped a pass to Dan Carr and the lock drew the last defender before putting Sesink-Clee in the clear. He had 22 metres to cover and he ate them up, diving over in the left-hand corner for five points.
Unfortunately for James Fleming‘s charges, though, for a third time they took only five points from a try-scoring move, with a third conversion missing the mark.
At last, though, in the 66th minute, Michaelhouse saw a kick pass through the uprights when Stefan Moolman landed a penalty to move the home side to within a converted try of the lead.
With time almost up, however, Maritzburg College struck hammer blow to ‘House’s hopes of a come-from-behind victory when a blindside move freed up Caleb Scheepers to go over wide on the right for a try.
Dom du Toit’s deadly boot lifted the Pietermaritzburg school into a 31-17 lead.
A little time remained, though, and Michaelhouse immediately worked their way down into the College 22.
From a lineout, only five metres out, the burly tighthead Nicolas Salamousas broke away off the back of a maul to blast his way over for a try. Moolman tacked on two more points, but time was up and Maritzburg College claimed a battling 31-24 victory.
SCORES
Michaelhouse 25 (5) – Tries: Oliver Davis, Alex Jankowitz, Dom Sesink-Clee, Nicolas Salamousas. Conversion: Stefan Moolman. Penalty: Stefan Moolman; Maritzburg College 31 (17) – Tries: Olwethu Kosani (2), Jordan Thackwray, Caleb Scheepers. Conversions: Dom du Toit (4). Penalty: Dom du Toit.
u19 – Michaelhouse I 25 Maritzburg College I 31; Michaelhouse II 36 Maritzburg College II 17; Michaelhouse III 20 Maritzburg College III 17; Michaelhouse IV 28 Maritzburg College IV 26; Michaelhouse V 31 Maritzburg College V 21; Michaelhouse VI 8 Maritzburg College VI 0; Michaelhouse VII 62 Maritzburg College VIII 5; Michaelhouse VIII 21 Maritzburg College IX 13; Michaelhouse IX 27 Maritzburg College X 14
u16 – Michaelhouse A 8 Maritzburg College A 28; Michaelhouse B 24 Maritzburg College B 7; Michaelhouse C 12 Maritzburg College C 24; Michaelhouse D 42 Maritzburg College E 19; Michaelhouse E 17 Maritzburg College F 24.
u15 – Michaelhouse A 5 Maritzburg College A 15; Michaelhouse B 0 Maritzburg College B 3; Michaelhouse C 15 Maritzburg College C 21; Michaelhouse D 0 Maritzburg College E 7; Michaelhouse E 12 Maritzburg College F 19.
u14 – Michaelhouse A 7 Maritzburg College A 29; Michaelhouse B 15 Maritzburg College B 19; Michaelhouse C 3 Maritzburg College C 53; Michaelhouse D 7 Maritzburg College D 40; Michaelhouse E 5 Maritzburg College F 36.
