Does the NWU Prestige semi-final have some more surprises in store?
The semi-finals of the NWU Prestige series have arrived, after an enthralling quarter-final round last weekend.
Oos-Moot defeated Hoërskool Rustenburg by 37-30 in the quarter-finals to cause a stunning upset, completely shaking up the groups and adding even more excitement to the tournament.
Coach Braam Pretorius’ team played excellently against the big boys from Rustenburg, managing to score three tries courtesy of their electric wingers, Ewald Wolmarans and Tapiwa Rwafa, and their centre, Ruwan Allen.
But it was the trusty boot of flyhalf, Charl van der Sluis, that made the difference in this epic encounter, with their unfaltering number ten converting two tries and five penalties, and adding a superb 47m drop-goal à la Jannie de Beer for a total of 22 points for his team.
The Rusties played well and should be favourites to win the playoffs for fifth now.
Lorenzo Snyers (winger) has been excellent all season, and played a major role again, scoring a try and adding two conversions and two penalty kicks for his team.
Reigning champs, Noordheuwel, managed to beat Die Anker in a try-scoring bonanza 69-22 with 15 tries scored between the two teams.
Their centre, Marshall de Vos, played an unforgettable game, crossing the line four times for the Nories, and flyhalf, JT Kapank, was prominent again, adding 14 points through conversions.
Though they are still definite favourites to defend their title, they should heed the warning of the Oos-Moot victory, the oval ball can do funny things in knockout rugby and no team is guaranteed a place in the final.
The next round takes place this Saturday at Hugenote in Springs and Die Anker in Brakpan, where Oos-Moot faces Middelburg High School, who reach the semi-finals after a hard-fought victory over Marais Viljoen, and Noordheuwel plays against Heidelberg Volkies, who also exceeded all expectations, beating Wesvalia in the quarter-finals.
Middelburg High also relied on their kicker, Divan van der Westhuizen, who added 14 points off the tee in their 24-11 victory over Marais Viljoen.
The importance of the kickers in all the quarter-final matches highlights the competitiveness of this tournament and is a great service to South African rugby in general, as the professional game has been emphasizing the role of the kicker for quite some time now, and depth and stability at the flyhalf position often making the difference in big matches.
Heidelberg Volkskool underlined this point, having to make use of two kickers, Keane Duckitt (flyhalf) and Kayle Venter (centre) to secure their one-point winning margin over Wesvalia.
As we approach the business end of the tournament the stakes are higher than ever, and this weekend’s matches promise to repeat the excitement of the previous round to determine the two teams who will be vying for the ultimate prize.
The semifinalists are:
Noordheuwel: 15 Jade Muller, 14 Keaton van Deventer, 13 Marshall de Vos, 12 Jared Coetzee, 11 Divan Cruywagen, 10 JT Kapank, 9 Coun-Lee Koekman, 8 Marco Maree, 7 Ludie Schutte, 6 Jaun Fourie, 5 Donavan Breedt, 4 Rudolph Coetzee, 3 Martin Nel, 2 Jaundre Schoeman, 1 Meyer Opperman.
Heidelberg Volkies: 15 Joshua Booysen, 14 Tristan la Grange, 13 Kyle Venter, 12 Ruduwaan Rodgers, 11 Rhys Thompson, 10 Keane Duckitt, 9 AJ Engelbrecht, 8 Daniel Jordaan, 7 Joshua Munro, 6 Francois le Roux, 5 Dylan Stuart, 4 Wilco Janse van Rensburg, 3 Lian Pelzer, 2 Dian la Grange, 1 Handre Strydom.
Oos-Moot: 15 Jeandre de Bruyn, 14 Ewald Wolmarans, 13 Stian Oosthuizen, 12 Van Zyl Myburgh, 11 Tapiwa Rwafa, 10 Charl van der Sluis, 9 Jacques Benade, 8 Gert Hendrik Grobler, 7 Wade Williams, 6 Nathan Kleynhans, 5 Jaydon Botha, 4 Zander Kumm, 3 Christian Smith, 2 Ryan Scott, 1 Braam Bezuidenhout.
Hoërskool Middelburg: 15 Divan van der Westhuizen, 14 Mthokozisi Yende, 13 Smiley Sibande, 12 Luke Geldenhuys, 11 Blessing Hamandishe, 10 Crawford Joubert, 9 Simtha Maseko, 8 Tjaart Joubert, 7 Tyrell Isaacs, 6 Ronin van Niekerk, 5 Kaylin Maphutha, 4 Paul van der Merwe, 3 Tebogo Nkosi, 2 Fumani Chauke, 1 Shaun Marx.
First-team fixtures at Hoërskool Hugenote in Springs:
12:20 – Potch Volkies vs Jeugland; 13:40 – Montana vs Lichtenburg; 15:00 – Oos-Moot vs Middelburg Hoërskool; 16:20 – Hugenote vs Potchefstroom Gimnasium.
First-team fixtures at Die Anker in Brakpan:
12:20 – Oosterlig vs Zwartkop; 13:40 – Rustenburg vs Marais Viljoen; 15:00 – Noordheuwel vs Heidelberg Volkskool; 16:20 – Die Anker vs Wesvalia.
