ISRF Day 2 – Kearsney goes big amidst mostly low scoring games

After a day’s rest, the second day of the u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) got underway on Monday at St Alban’s College with some interesting matchups on the cards.

St David’s Marist Inanda came away with a hard-fought 16-0 win over Clifton College in the opening match of the day.

After a slow start in the first half, during which they kicked a single penalty, they added a try, a conversion and two more penalties from flyhalf Luca Cabion after the break.

Cornwall Hill College put up a valiant fight against St Stithians College, taking the game down to the wire, but Saints emerged as 7-0 winners, with Tyler Maclellan the lone try scorer. Despite heavy pressure from Cornwall, the Saints’ defence refused to buckle.

The Kearsney Stayers XV dominated against St Benedict’s, storming to a 79-5 victory in which they shackled the Bedfordview boys and ran riot when in possession. The KZN school was unrelenting, and they executed their tactical plays well to make the most of their numerous scoring opportunities.

St Charles College maintained their unbeaten run at the festival, picking up a tough 17-12 win over St Andrew’s College. Wing Radley Isaacs scored an excellent try to seal the deal for Saints, darting through the flailing St Andrew’s defence. The Eastern Cape side scored a try on the final whistle, but it wasn’t quite enough to snatch the win.

CBC Boksburg shocked St Andrew’s School, winning by a margin of 10 points, with their powerful front row leading the way. In another closely contested match, they picked up a 15-5 victory.

For the most part, low scoring has been a feature of the festival, and the winning score was as low as it could get in the clash of Woodridge College and Uplands College, with Woodridge slotting a single penalty to win 3-0.

St John’s College clung on for a 14-14 draw against the Blue Bulls Development side in the second last match of the day. In a see-saw contest, Gerald Van Wyk, scored the last try of the match to level the scores with 10 minutes to play. The Bulls pushed hard for victory, but St John’s maintained a disciplined defence, starving the development side of space, to keep them out.

As the sun began setting over the Highveld, St Alban’s took on a spirited Hilton College in the day’s last match. With a clinical performance, which included a strong running game, Hilton cantered to a 38-7 victory.

The visitors were in control throughout the game and offered very limited opportunities to the hosts. While the scrums were evenly contested, a barrage of first half points left St Alban’s with a mountain to climb to get back into the match.

The final day of the festival takes place on Wednesday, 3 July. Matches will be played concurrently on three fields to allow for an early finish so that the teams are able to depart early for home.

RESULTS
Day 2 – Monday 1st July 2024 

Clifton Stayers XV 0-16 St David’s Stayers XV
Cornwall Hill College 0-7 St Stithians Stayers XV
Kearsney Stayers XV 79-5 St Benedict’s Stayers XV
St Andrew’s College Stayers XV 12-17 St Charles Stayers XV
CBC Boksburg 15-5 St Andrew’s School
Uplands College 0-3 Woodridge
Blue Bull u17 Development XV 14-14 St John’s College Stayers XV
St Alban’s College Stayers XV  7-38 Hilton College Stayers XV

Fixtures Day 3 – Wednesday, 3 July

08:00 – St David’s Stayers XV v Kearsney Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
08:00 – St Stithians Stayers XV v CBC Boksburg (Baloyi Field)
08:00 – Hilton College Stayers XV v Blue Bulls U17 Development XV (Murray Field)
09:10 – Cornwall Hill College v St Andrew’s College Stayers XV (Murray Field)
09:10 – St Benedict’s Stayers XV v St Charles Stayers XV (Baloyi Field)
09:10 – St Alban’s College Stayers XV v St Andrew’s School (Bloem) (Moshate Field)
10:20 – St John’s College Stayers XV v Clifton Stayers XV (Moshate Field)