Kearsney College stuns Michaelhouse on Stott Field
Kearsney College, beaten by 15 points on Meadows earlier in the season, returned the favour when Michaelhouse visited Stott Field on Saturday, delighting their alumni on Old Boys’ Weekend, with a gutsy 19-15 victory.
Kearsney coach Neil van Heerden commented afterwards: “During the week, we said that Old Boys’ Weekend always gives Kearsney a superpower, something extra, and I think we saw that today.
“Michaelhouse is a fantastic team, with stacks of talent, but they couldn’t get their game going today. Credit to the Kearsney boys.”
The One-Stripe, from the moment they charged onto the field, certainly appeared to be raring to engage in a physical battle, and it was their tireless work rate, the manner in which they contested every ball, that was the key to their win, which was a third on the trot.
“If you’re going to beat a team like ‘House, a phenomenal team, you’ve got to make them uncomfortable and you’ve got to get them out of their system, whether it is in the ruck or the lineout or the scrum,” Van Heerden said.
And speaking of the scrums, he lauded the performance of the Kearsney captain, tighthead Anele Cele: “I think Anele, after not making Craven Week, had a point to prove, and he showed that he can scrum against the best,” Van Heerden reckoned.
As so often happens in games, though, winning was also about which side made better use of its opportunities. Three times Michaelhouse mauled their way right up to the Kearsney try line and three times they were halted, and the scrum went to hosts. Kearsney, early in the second half, struck from a similar position near the ‘House whitewash to take the lead, which they held until the end of the game.
Not even an ankle injury to one of their stars of the 2024 season, flank Connor McIntyre, which forced him from the field in the first half, halted the One-Stripe’s momentum.
“Credit must go to Heinrich Fourie, who has been part of the first team and lost his way a little bit and played for the 2nd XV in the last two or three games. He came on [for Connor McIntyre] and made a good impact,” Van Heerden said. “He stood tall, and that’s also indicative of the type of team that this is. Even with setbacks, they haven’t taken a step back.”
It was Michaelhouse, however, who opened the scoring in the sixth minute and the efficient and clinical manner in which they did so suggested that it might be a long day for the home side.
It began with a counterattack from fullback Aya Mkokheli, from inside the Michaelhouse half. Once he was stopped, the ball was shipped to the right, through three phases, before it was brought back to the left, where ‘House had a two-man overlap.
Kearsney scrambled well, and Mkokheli, having joined the backline, sold a dummy and cut infield. He was tackled, but as he went down Riley Gehren was ranging up on his inside. He took a pop pass and the path to the try line was open. Luke Davidson converted the try and Carlyle Hawkins and his men led 7-0.
Kearsney responded well and surged up into the Michaelhouse half after Cameron Veenstra sliced through the visitors’ defensive line with a well-judged angled run. They soon came close to scoring, but a chip and chase from right wing Valentino Lenge was slightly too strong and he narrowly failed to dot down.
In the 18th minute, with Michaelhouse on the attack, the visitors quickly created an overlap from a lineout just outside the Kearsney 22. Seeing that, flyhalf Davidson went for a skip pass, but Lenge read it perfectly, racing up out of the line to snare an interception and turn on the jets to scorch his way to a try. If he hadn’t pulled it off, three ‘House players were outside of him, and they could well have been in for a second try.
Cameron Veenstra knocked over the conversion kick to level the scores at 7-7, which was where it remained at halftime.
Three minutes into the second half, a pinpoint touch-finder put Kearsney on Michaelhouse’s five-metre line, with a throw-in. The take was clean.
As the ball was brought down, Doan Nel began speeding towards the maul, at an angle and from a distance. The ball was taken off the back of the maul and released flat to Nel, who took a small step off his left foot, and he was across the line for a try. Another Veenstra conversion put Kearsney 14-7 ahead.
Good team that they are, Michaelhouse took it in their stride and worked their way down into Kearsney’s 22, moving the ball from side to side to test out the host’s defences out wide. First, they went left, then right, then left again, and it paid off. ‘House’s Craven Week prop Aphiwe Shelembe rounded the defence to crash over about 12 metres to the left of the uprights.
It was a simple conversion, but Kearsney’s defenders raced off the line to snatch the ball off the kicking tee when they thought Michaelhouse kicker Luke Davidson had moved. The referee agreed with them, and the visitors still trailed by two points.
From the kick-off, the One-Stripe turned over possession and Kuda Kachambwa charged away from the ruck, into the Michaelhouse 22. Kearsney drove it up once more, heading towards the uprights, before the ball was sent back to flyhalf Roydan Madatt.
The Michaelhouse defence had been drawn in and the no.10 knocked a cross kick out wide to the right. It wasn’t perfect, but it was not too far off.
The fact that it was a touch heavy led to a spectacular one-handed grab from fullback Daniel Eager, who leapt high, stretched out his right arm and hauled in the ball, preventing it from going over the touchline. Then he was over in the corner with a dive worthy of the spectacular play.
Michaelhouse had almost 15 minutes to pull it back. Again, they ground their way down into Kearsney’s 22.
When ‘House won a penalty, right in front of the uprights, they opted for a kick at goal, with 10 minutes still on the clock. Davidson knocked it over and only four points separated the sides.
Michaelhouse kept taking the game to Kearsney, but Cele and company defended tigerishly, once more turning a Michaelhouse maul towards their try line into a Kearsney scrum.
With Carlyle Hawkins and his cohorts on the attack and time up, Kearsney was awarded a penalty at scrum time. A kick to touch sealed a memorable win for the school and its Old Boys.
Kearsney College 19 (7) – Tries: Valentino Lenge, Doan Nel, Daniel Eager; Conversions: Cameron Veenstra (2). Michaelhouse 15 (7) – Tries: Riley Gehren, Aphiwe Shelembe. Conversion: Luke Davidson. Penalty: Luke Davidson.
Other Results
u19 – Kearsney II 15 Michaelhouse II 28; Kearsney III 24 Michaelhouse III 43; Kearsney IV 7 Michaelhouse IV 17; Kearsney V 6 Michaelhouse V 12; Kearsney VI 15 Michaelhouse VI 22; Kearsney VII 5 Michaelhouse VII 36; Kearsney VIII 17 Michaelhouse VIII 32
u16 – Kearsney A 13 Michaelhouse A 23; Kearsney B 14 Michaelhouse B 83; Kearsney C 0 Michaelhouse C 48; Kearsney D 0 Michaelhouse D 57
u15 – Kearsney A 21 Michaelhouse A 17; Kearsney B 40 Michaelhouse B 29; Kearsney C 19 Michaelhouse C 17; Kearsney D 14 Michaelhouse D 34
u14 – Kearsney A 29 Michaelhouse A 14; Kearsney B 7 Michaelhouse B 35; Kearsney C 26 Michaelhouse C 12
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