Framesby and Pearson draw, St Andrew’s topples Grey High
Pearson pulled off a thrilling draw against Framesby in the final minute when wing Siya Ncwadi sliced through the defence for an outstanding try next to the poles in their King Price Derby Series clash, at Framesby, in Gqeberha, on Saturday.
Despite the relatively easy nature of the conversion, the pressure was on Pearson fullback Keano Beling with time running out, but he nailed the kick to draw the scores level at 19-19.
The drama, however, was not over because, from the kick-off, Framesby was awarded a penalty around the Pearson 10-metre line, five metres in from touch. However, the kick to win the match failed to find its mark and the teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Meanwhile, in the other big showdown in Gqeberha, St Andrew’s College produced an outstanding team effort to inflict another one-point defeat on Grey High, winning 28-27 on the Kolisi Field. This came after Grey lost 24-25 to Queen’s College the previous weekend.
In Makhanda, Graeme College crossed for three tries after halftime to transform their 22-21 lead at the interval into a 43-42 victory over Nico Malan.
At Framesby, the home side was forced onto the defensive early on, conceding a scrum penalty in the second minute and allowing Pearson two shots at goal.
Both of those missed, however, and it was Framesby who struck first when a bad error in Pearson’s in-goal area saw flank Ethan Terblanche pounce on a loose ball to dot down. Jaiden Brewis added the conversion to make it 7-0.
But Pearson had come to play. They soon spelt out their intentions when a brilliant backline move saw centre Sibu Mkhontwana surge through a gap to put away the irrepressible Denilo Jordaan for their first try.
Soon after halftime, Framesby extended their lead when livewire wing Damian Witbooi darted past a couple of defenders to score next to the poles, with Brewis adding the conversion.
But it was a game in which neither side was able to take control and Pearson’s ability on attack was again shown when Jordaan was put into space for his second try, making it 14-12.
Then came a crucial turnaround when, with the visitors pressing hard in the Framesby 22, the ball bobbled around from a pass, only to be collected by Witbooi who showed extreme pace by running 80 metres for a try in the corner, chased all the way by Mkhontwana.
The conversion failed, but Framesby had a cushion, only to be crushed by another spectacular attack, leading to Ncwadi becoming the hero for Pearson.
On the Kolisi Field, St Andrew’s shocked the Grey supporters when they broke through for two outstanding tries by Qhawe Madikizela and Aphindile Ngcuka, which put the visitors 12-0 ahead after 16 minutes.
The match was a fluctuating battle, but eventually Grey found a way through, largely through the magical feet of fullback Meyer Prinsloo, who scored an outstanding try in the 23rd minute, which bamboozled the visiting defence.
That was followed by a pushover try for flank Cody Wilmot, but St Andrew’s astutely created some scoreboard pressure through the accurate boot of Will Stevens.
He knocked over two penalties to make it 18-10 at halftime and three minutes after the restart he added a third penalty.
Grey’s lineout did not function smoothly, with St Andrew’s lock William Beamish poaching a number of balls at the front, but when it did, Grey was able to drive forward for Wilmot’s second five-pointer.
The visitors, however, were always innovative, often taking quick taps and this resulted in Beamish storming over for a crucial try from about 15 metres out.
A superb touchline conversion by Stevens was significant because it put them eight points ahead, which was just as well for them because Prinsloo was again at it soon after the restart.
Receiving the ball on the halfway line, the Grey fullback swiftly sized up his options and again sliced through the visitors’ defence for his second score of the match.
He slotted the conversion to make it a one-point ballgame, but neither side could add any further points during the last 10 minutes, and it was St Andrew’s who erupted with joy at the end.
Graeme College built up a critical cushion in their clash with Nico Malan after a tightly contested first half.
From a score of 22-21, the home team scored two tries to make it 36-21 and although Nico Malan hit back once, another try restored Graeme’s 15-point advantage.
That ultimately helped them secure the win because Nico Malan was not done and crossed for two tries in the last 10 minutes to close the gap to only one point.
Unfortunately for them, the referee blew for fulltime after their final try and there was no chance for the visitors to snatch victory.
For Graeme, the standout players included Lucritia Magau, Erin Nelson, Luke Doyle, and Ayola Mali, while Waldo Krige and Neil Lategan each crossed for a brace of tries for Nico Malan and Leighton Lawrence kicked six conversions from six attempts.
SCORERS
Framesby 19 (7) – Tries: Damian Witbooi (2), Ethan Terblanche. Conversions: Jaiden Brewis (2). Pearson 19 (5) – Tries: Denilo Jordaan (2), Siya Ncwadi. Conversions: Keano Beling (2).
St Andrew’s College 28 (18) – Tries: William Beamish, Qhawe Madikizela, Aphindile Ngcuka. Penalties: Will Stevens (3). Conversions: Will Stevens (2). Grey High 27 (10) – Tries: Meyer Prinsloo (2), Cody Wilmot (2). Penalty: Prinsloo. Conversions: Prinslo (2)
Graeme College 43 (22) – Tries: Luke Doyle, Lebo Mahasele, Lucritia Magau (2), Ethan Bokbaard (2). Penalties: Bokbaard. Conversions: Bokbaard (5). Nico Malan 42 (21) – Tries: Waldo Krige (2), Neil Lategan (2), Janu Janse van Rensburg, Pietman Kleinhans. Conversions: Leighton Lawrence (6).
