Grey College weathers Oakdale storm in Bloemfontein
Grey College showed class to weather an inspired Oakdale Landbou attack in Bloemfontein on Saturday, as the top-ranked team in the country stretched their unbeaten season to 15 games with a 36-25 victory.
They will look to end the year with that record intact when they host Paul Roos in their final fixture for the year.
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Oakdale showed their intent early on, drawing the first blood with a try by their electric centre, Kurt Coetzee.
It took the home team no time to respond though, as Coetzee’s opposite number, Pieter van der Merwe, broke the line immediately after the kickoff to put Keegan Scholtz in for the first of his two tries to level the score at 7-all.
Despite Oakdale regaining the lead momentarily with a penalty conversion by their trusted flyhalf, Zandre Conradie, Scholtz’s second try gave the Bloemfontein Powerhouse an advantage that they would not lose again in the match.
The visitors’ Craven Week winger, Therlow Prins, scored a hat-trick as they beat HTS Drostdy by 31-24 last weekend, and the exciting young speedster got over the line two more times against Grey.
Both of his tries came from two brilliantly collected kicks forward, with Prins being too quick for any turning defender to catch.
This got Oakdale to within five points, trailing by 29-25 with only 10 minutes left in the game and looking like they might score at any moment.
The Grey boys are simply too well drilled to succumb to the pressure, and they stuck to their guns, with their dynamic flanker, Jean-Henri Smit, who has been phenomenal all season, securing the win with a try in the final moments leaving Oakdale as just another team who still search for the elusive win against the Bloemfontein Juggernaut.
Oakdale managed to hold Grey to a 17-all draw in Riversdal last year, and it will be back to the drawing board for the team from the South West before they get another chance when they host Grey College next year.
Before that, they still have the all-important derby against Boland Landbou to attend to. Boland is experiencing a strong run of form and has recently beaten Paul Roos (28-12) and Paarl Boys’ High (26-22).
If Oakdale can repeat this weekend’s intensity though, they can beat anyone.
Grey face Paul Roos next on the 19th, without their contingent of SA Schools players, still, it’s hard to see anyone beating the pacesetters, but history has shown that a derby is not decided by form or statistics. It’s sure to be another battle to remember.
This was the last outing in a Grey College jersey for Jean Erasmus (prop), JJ Theron (eighth man), Christiaan van der Westhuizen (scrumhalf), Ian van der Merwe (flyhalf) and Ranon Fouché (prop) who are part of the SA Schools team as well as the centre pairing of Van der Merwe and Benito Goeda who have also been selected for the SA A team this year.
Scorers:
Grey College 36 (26) – Tries: Keegan Scholtz (2), Pieter van der Merwe (2), Liam van Wyk, Jean-Henri Smit. Conversions: Ian van der Merwe (3). Oakdale Landbou 25 (17) – Tries: Therlow Prins (2), Kurt Coetzee. Conversions: Zandre Conradie (2). Penalties: Conradie (2).
Other scores:
u19B – Grey College II 45, Oakdale 5.
u16 – Grey College 38, Oakdale 24.
u15 – Grey College 31, Oakdale 5.
u14 – Grey College 82, Oakdale 0.
