Bragging rights to Marais Viljoen after first meeting in 31 years with Dinamika
Despite meeting for the first time in 31 years on a rugby field, there was certainly no love lost between Alberton’s Hoërskool Dinamika and Hoërskool Marais Viljoen. Their showdown brought the inaugural Fairtree Sport Festival at Die Hoërskool Menlopark in Pretoria to a dramatic close.
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After a nail-biting and drama-filled clash, bragging rights in Alberton went to Marais Viljoen (MV), thanks to a hard-fought 24–20 victory.
At halftime, they trailed by 17 points and had been held scoreless. Undaunted, they mounted a fightback, outscoring Dinamika 24-3 in the second stanza.
Openside flank Tshepo Tsholo opened the Marais Viljoen account shortly after the restart, dotting down the first of his two tries in a standout performance.
A series of thundering collisions from both sides defined the match. Dinamika’s first-half dominance was underpinned by their ability to absorb sustained pressure before converting defensive resilience into points.
The battle between scrumhalves, Peter Chihobo (Hoërskool Marais Viljoen) and Riley Sinclaire (Hoërskool Dinamika), added further intrigue. Chihobo‘s service was sharp, which helped MV to build momentum, while Sinclaire‘s tactical box-kicking dictated play during the opening 30 minutes.
A 34-minute lightning-related disruption led to an intense last seven minutes of the match. Upon the resumption of play, Dinamika launched wave after wave of attack in an attempt to overturn the four-point deficit. However, a resolute defensive effort from the MV kept them out and secured the victory.
Earlier, in the fixture preceding the much-anticipated Alberton derby, the Parkies of the Die Hoërskool Menlopark XV withstood a spirited challenge from the Hoërskool Dr Malan of Meyerton, claiming a 34–22 win.
Hooker Gihann Parsons delivered a superb performance, scoring the only hat-trick of the day to make a significant contribution to his side’s total.
Dokkies‘ hooker Dylan Hopkins was his usual influential self and also crossed for a try. However, Dr Malan’s primary points scorer was flyhalf JJ Kruger, who scored a try, added two conversions, and slotted a penalty, which constituted 12 of his team’s 22 points.
Scorers
Marais Viljoen 24 (0) – Tries: Tshepo Tsholo (2), Joshua O’Brien, Penalty try. Conversions: Ovayo Jonas. Dinamika 20 (17) – Tries: Jadon Fritz, Riley Sinclaire. Conversions: Zander Smit (2). Penalties: Smit (2).
Menlopark XV 34 (17) – Tries: Gihann Parsons (3), Johan Vermaak, Eduan Bothma, Marco de Bruin. Conversions: Julian Nel (2). Dr Malan 22 (15) – Tries: Dylin Hopkins, Jason-Lee Oosthuizen, JJ Kruger. Conversions: Kruger (2). Penalty: Kruger.
