Candies seize the spoils against Hoops
New changeroom, new team energy and keeping it simple was the mantra for the day as Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS) beat their local rivals, St Alban’s College, by 21 points on Saturday on Brooks Field, running out 38-17 winners.
Rewatch all the action on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).
Pretoria Boys’ High didn’t muck around, with the first points scored within the first two minutes of the match through an excellent run from flyhalf Tumisho Motswi, who received the ball deep in his half and darted through the defences of the opposition to score a fantastic try.
Boys High functioned well as a unit, with their outside centre Motheo Dimpe and 8th-man Katlego Shebu benefitting from that teamwork and scoring two tries apiece.
On the cusp of halftime, Hoops’ winger Neo Gama, who represented the Bulls at the Academy Week in 2023, cut through the PBHS defensive line, showing off his blistering pace through the middle of the field, as he evaded tackle attempts from left and right, before flying in for a try.
St Alban’s gave it a good go and put together some strong set-pieces, with talented flanker Patrick Weir impressing with his high work-rate.
He also went over for a try, but it came a little too late for St Alban’s, with the home side adding a further 17 points in the second half to take the contest further out of the visitor’s reach.
Throughout the match Candies looked strong on offence, with their powerful mauls driving the opposition back deep into their own half and resulting in two of Boys High’s six tries.
PBHS will be pleased with the result as they head into two big matches in succession, with an away trip down to Maritzburg College next weekend being followed with a match against King Edward VII on 20 April.
St Alban’s jet-off to Europe for a rugby tour during their mid-term holidays.
Points’ Scorers
Pretoria Boys’ High School 38 (21) – Tries: Motheo Dimpe (2), Katlego Shebu (2), Tumisho Motswi, Jeffrey Singo. Conversions: Tebogo Nchabaleng (4). St Alban’s 17 (10) – Tries: Patrick Weir, Neo Gama. Conversions: Josh Verster (2). Penalty: Josh Verster.
