KwaZulu-Natal Results – 15 June 2013
There were two shock results in KZN this weekend, one on Friday when Glenwood lost against George Campbell and on Saturday when Maritzburg College was thrashed by Westville on Goldstones, where it had been expected to be a tight game.
Maritzburg College 10 Westville 50
Westville arrived on Goldstones ready for the contest but College did not pitch with their A game. They lacked cohesion, tackling was poor and passes were poorly constructed. Westville scrumming was better, an area where College had been expected to do well. This resulted in Westville winning an abundance of ball and using it to good effect.
The records show that this is the largest point difference in a loss against a KZN school on Goldstones. In 2007 College lost by a difference of 37 points against Glenwood and their biggest loss was 3-86 against Grey College in 2006. What makes it even more remarkable is that it is Westville’s 4th only win against College in 28 matches. Their last win was in 2009.
Did the ‘flu virus that struck down half the side, causing the match against Kearsney to be postponed just a week before, have an influence? Two players were still affected and those that were back could not have been fully fit for this game. This was not an excuse made by College and Westville also had some players out with injury. The result will stand in the records of both schools.
Westville came well prepared with a definite plan on how to beat College in the game. They executed their attacking moves at pace and had College on the back foot from early on. Using various strategies, attacking wide, using probing kicks and then attacking in channels close to the tight phases certainly worked. College has produced some wonderful defense in matches this season but it fell away on Saturday.
At the end of the first quarter the score was 15-0 and Westville had dominated with College offering little in reply. Two tries in the first 10 minutes, the first by lock Jordan Martin and then by centre Lindo Buthelezi, converted by Louis Snyman, who also kicked a penalty. Before halftime Snyman kicked two more penalties and converted centre Brad Ellse’s earlier try, to leave Westville 28-0 in front.
College came out after the break and looked a different side as they played their best rugby in the match for a period of about 15 minutes. In that time eighth man Darren Goodsen scored one of his trade-mark tries using his strength to get over after a good College maul and the pacy wing Banele Ngwenya got over in the corner. Neither was converted but it appeared as if College was going to make inroads into the Westville lead.
This did not last however and the last quarter was again all Westville, as they scored another three tries. Two of these went to Buthelezi for his hattrick and the final try to wing Jason Wilkes. Snyman converted the first two and a penalty for Westville to bring up their half century in a well-deserved win.
George Campbell 13 Glenwood 12
This will go down as the major surprise result of the season, reminiscent of the win by Northwood, also by a point, in 2011. In both cases it was away and followed a few days after the KZN capping ceremony where Glenwood had the majority of players in both the Craven and Academy Week teams.
The green jerseys did not fire perhaps because of complacency and the untried conditions under lights on the narrow Campbell field. Did the Glenwood players also have half an eye on the game on Monday and then on Craven week? There was some dew which did make handling difficult but it was the physicality of the GC players that unsettled Glenwood.
Glenwood scored two tries through flank Rupert Kay and wing Spark Ngcobo with the first converted by Morné Joubert. Campbell scored a try by flank Thando Mbatha with a conversion and two penalties by M Nkosi.
Kearsney 34 Hilton 9; Michaelhouse 45 DHS 13; Clifton 17 St Charles 22; Port Natal 16 Glenwood ii 27; Kloof 15 Hillcrest 6; Kuswag 44 Kingsway 0
