DHS downs game Kearsney, Westville escapes College upset bid
Kearsney College, a heavy underdog against Durban High School (DHS), gave a good account of themselves in the third game of the Sharks Schools’ Rugby Day on Hilton College’s Weightman-Smith Field, but a storming finish from School took DHS to a 40-20 victory on Friday.
It wasn’t their best performance, but it has been a very busy time for DHS, and their intensity and pressure bore fruit towards the end of the game when they pulled clear of the feisty One-Stripe.
Referencing his side’s slow start, DHS coach Peter Engeldow told SuperSport Schools Plus: “It’s exhaustion, to be honest. We had three games at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. We finished on the Monday, then, on the Saturday, we played Northwood, a tough local derby. We left on the Tuesday and played on Thursday and Saturday at Wildeklawer, against Stellenberg, and then Paarl Gim, at 20:00, on Saturday night. We got home on Sunday at 19:00, just exhausted.
“We played seven games in 12 or 13 days. Other schools do it as well, but, for us, it has been tough. We trained last Saturday, but with the Friday fixture, we also had to change our schedule. It has been pretty full-on.”
Kearsney suffered a big loss to Michaelhouse last time out, but they’ve undoubtedly made good progress this season, and they eagerly fronted up to the challenge posed by School. It took almost a quarter of an hour for the first points to be scored, but they went the way of DHS, who drove hooker Okuhle Mbanjwa over the line.
Kearsney’s enterprise and imagination were on show when they replied with a wonderful try that began on the halfway line, wide left, where fullback Lwazi Mbebe fielded a clearing kick. The play was switched to the opposite flank but then finished in the left-hand corner, with centre Doan Nel being stopped just shy of the line before popping the ball into Lwandle Mkhize‘s hands for the score.
A successful conversion kick from Mbebe edged Kearsney ahead, but DHS soon took control of the contest, adding further tries from fullback Jordan van Wyk and captain Daniel Ikotela, who broke three tackles before dotting down under the posts. By halftime, they were 22-10 to the good.
It was 25-13 with eight minutes to play, but Cilermo Carolus, from long-range, and Jaydon Roberts, from close-range, went over for tries for DHS, while Keanu Williamson rounded off a sweeping attack down the left flank for Kearsney. With the conversions made, it finished 40-20.
The DHS victory was built on their edge in the set scrums. In open play, they’re well-drilled and force the opposition into having to make numerous tackles. Once they pierce the defensive line, they have the runners to take advantage of that.
He’s not the biggest centre, but the Horseflies‘ Nathan Aneke impressed with his smooth reading of the game and distribution. Opposite him, Keanu Williamson was busy throughout the contest, running good support lines, and his try was a deserved reward. Lwazi Mbebe was a calm presence at fullback for Kearsney and he kicked well from the tee, too.
“Credit to Kearsney. They’re trying to play a specific brand of rugby, which is nice, and they’re improving,” DHS coach Peter Engledow said.
“They took a bit of a hammering against ‘House last Friday. Sometimes that could be, for our guys watching, their mindset is it’s not going to be too tough, and we have Westville in the back of our minds, for next Saturday. There are a number of factors, but, at the end of the day, the history books will say DHS W, Kearsney L.”
The DHS loose trio – Daniel Ikotela, Bradley la Grange, and Dexter Mkhencele – brought a strong physical presence to the contest, as always, while, in the opposing pack, lock Joseph Roylance caught the eye with his outstanding work rate.
Summing up the win, Peter Engledow said: “We said as long as we bring the intensity and we play in the right areas – which we didn’t at times, and which is a bit annoying – we’ll be okay. We’ll go back, learn, and prep for Westville.”
Westville Boys’ High vs Maritzburg College
The action moved to Gilfillian Field for the day’s last two matches, with unbeaten Westville Boys’ High taking on Maritzburg College in the penultimate contest.
Westville claimed a 22-21 win, but they were far from their best, which their coach Zander Erasmus acknowledged: “I think we were very lucky to win today,” he said.
There is a positive to take out of, by far, Westville’s worst performance of the season, and that’s the fact that good teams find ways to win, even when they’re not playing well. A decision early in the second half to have Zekhethelo Siyaya take a long-range kick at goal proved to be pivotal because it edged the Griffin ahead, and they were able to hold on for the win from there.
It appeared as if it was going to be a comfortable day at the office for Westville when they ran in two converted tries in the early going. The first was beautifully set up by Siyaya, who sliced through College’s defence like a scalpel and then put Jadrian Afrikaner in the clear. Then, good hands opened up an opportunity for Avumile Lisa to go over in the left-hand corner. It looked routine, but it didn’t turn out to be.
Westville coach Erasmus explained why: “That first half was just not good enough in terms of easy exits, penalties, allowing them to come back into the game. Their set piece was very good.
“We knew that there is a lot of fight in this Maritzburg College side. They’ve been coached well. They came around the corner and put their bodies on the line. They looked like they wanted it more than us,” he said.
College got themselves back into the game through their forwards, who laid siege to the Westville try line before David Colenbrander dived over for five. The steady boot of Dom du Toit made it a seven-point play.
Westville replied with another try in the left-hand corner, scored by flank Lwandle Makhanya, after some slick passing took them up to the try line, but they lost their way after that.
Twice in one movement, College made a mess of the final pass, which would have put them over the Westville try line, but they came back for a penalty and big Indiphile Mlotshwa barrelled his way over after a quick tap. Du Toit added the extras and the teams turned with College down by five.
Early in the second half, coach Nico Breedt’s boys grabbed the lead after a clever dink over the top from Jordan Thackeray was caught by his centre partner, Olwethu Kosani, who offloaded quickly and put Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein in for the try. Du Toit converted from the left-hand touchline to make it 21-19 to the Red, Black, and White.
College was playing the kind of game they wanted to play, so when Westville won a penalty on the halfway line they turned to Siyaya to have a shot at goal. He made the vital kick. The Westville number 15 is a complete player, and while Maritzburg College did a good job of limiting his counterattacking opportunities in the second half, Siyaya imposed himself on the game with his long, well-directed kicks.
It became a down-and-dirty arm wrestle, mostly between the packs, but without the addition of points on the scoreboard, and Westville held on for their ninth win of the season.
Maritzburg College had a lot to do with Westville’s lukewarm display. Kudos to them for their work in the trenches, but the Griffin, with three good moves, bagged three tries, two of them converted, and that all-important long-range penalty from Siyaya sneaked a win.
Zander Erasmus, who keeps his cool when the going gets tough, was brutally honest in his assessment of the match: “We weren’t good enough,” he stated plainly. “We didn’t have a plan on attack. We looked flat. We missed a lot of tackles and made stupid decisions. It wasn’t what we wanted, because we planned to play and transition and offload, but we didn’t give ourselves that opportunity.”
The record books, however, will read a win for Westville, and they’ll put their unbeaten record on the line next Saturday against DHS in a high-stakes showdown on Bowden’s Field.
SCORES
Durban High School 40 (22) – Tries: Okuhle Mbanjwa, Jordan van Wyk, Daniel Ikotela, Cilermo Carolus, Jaydon Roberts. Conversions: Jordan van Wyk (4). Penalties: Jordan van Wyk (3); Kearsney College 20 (10) – Tries: Lwandle Mkhize, Keanu Williamson. Conversions: Lwazi Mbebe (2). Penalties: Lwazi Mbebe (2).
Westville Boys’ High 22 (19) – Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner, Avumile Lisa, Lwandle Makhanya. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (2). Penalty: Zekhethelo Siyaya. Maritzburg College 21 (14) – Tries: David Colenbrander, Indiphile Mlotshwa, Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein. Conversions:
Dom du Toit (3).
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