D.F. Malan tackles in-form Strand, Swartland chases win against Hopefield
Hoërskool D.F. Malan hosts Hoërskool Strand at 12:40 in Belville this Saturday.
The hosts defeated Hoërskool Punt 32-29 last time out, while Strand was also on the winning side, beating Hoërskool Swartland 25-20.
With those victories in the bag and having come out on the right side of tough tests, both sides will feel confident heading into Saturday’s showdown.
If this weekend’s clash goes down to the wire, then discipline will be a key factor for the hosts. Strand scrumhalf, Jaydan Steenkamp, made the difference last weekend by landing two decisive penalty kicks. He’ll be aiming for more of the same this week.
The Belville locals have faith in their own kickers. With the powerful boot of Delport at fullback, they have the ability to control the territorial battle and put pressure on the opposition’s lineout, with the home support cheering them on.
It’ll take more than an excited home crowd to get the better of Strand, however. They stuck together last weekend and defended valiantly in the second half to force mistakes out of the frustrated Swartland attack. If DF Malan wants to add another win on Saturday, they’ll need to tap into the same composure that they displayed against the ferocious Punt side.
In Malmesbury, Hoërskool Swartland welcomes Hoërskool Hopefield for a 12:50 kick-off.
While the home side went down by five points to Strand in their last outing, Hopefield enjoyed a one-sided 46-6 victory over Hoërskool Labori.
The Malmesbury school created many chances from set-pieces against Strand, but they didn’t capitalise on enough of them enough to come away with the win.
Hopefield, on the other hand, ran riot against Labori, scoring tries with ease. Their game may not flow as effortlessly this time around, with Swartland set to offer a stiffer battle in the set-pieces and at the breakdown.
Swartland’s backs also know how to finish when presented with space, so Hopefield will need to be at their best if they want to go home victorious.
TEAMS
D.F. Malan: 15 P. Delport, 14 A. Lewis, 13 D. Thompson, 12 C. de Jager, 11 D. Loucas, 10 E. Bester, 9 C. Burger, 8 J. le Roux, 7 J. Pieterse, 6 J. Vermeulen, 5 D. Nel, 4 R. Krugel, 3 H. Jacobz, 2 K. Drifthout, 1 R. Palvie.
Strand: 15 Ashton Mitchell, 14 Marquin Smith, 13 Kealan Milton, 12 Lyle Julies, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Justin Phillips, 9 Jaydan Steenkamp, 8 Rohan Bezuidenhout, 7 Chrismar Prinsloo, 6 Schalk Beukes, 5 Keagan Coetzee, 4 Joshua Lourens, 3 Timothy van den Bergh, 2 Ruben Paanakker, 1 Christopher Els.
Swartland: 15 Skylar Claasen, 14 Enrico Louw, 13 Justin Vermeulen, 12 Daniel Walters, 11 Zaidell Pauhus, 10 De Wet van Aswagen, 9 Dimitrios Boutsikaris, 8 Wessel Neethling, 7 Christian Cupido, 6 James Joubert, 5 Martin Neethling, 4 Lamin Bah, 3 Melchior Botha, 2 Eben van Wyk, 1 Ernst Coetzee.
Hopefield: 15 Jordan Loubser, 14 JT Adams, 13 Jared Williams, 12 Reenan van den Berg, 11 CJ Magerman, 10 Ruwan Beaton, 9 Evan Momsen, 8 Daniël Olivier, 7 Schalk Jonker (Captain), 6 Tehan Barnard, 5 Clint Afrika, 4 Nieken Lubbe, 3 De Villers Cloete, 2 Ewout Oosthuizen, 1 Emile Mostert.
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