Last second kick secures Kearsney College upset of Maritzburg College
A very good Maritzburg College team was beaten on the first day of the 2023 rugby season at Michaelhouse, and College again tasted defeat in their season-opener on Saturday when they went down 14-16 at Kearsney College.
At this time of year, Stott Field paints a pretty picture, but the first half, especially, was far from pretty for the visitors. Sure, they exhibited some rust, but Kearsney College also had a lot to do with their struggles.
Maritzburg College, with SA Schools’ prop Phiwayinkosi Kubheka on the loosehead and Sharks’ Craven Week tighthead Aiden Botha on the other side of the front row, were expected to be a handful in the set pieces, but the home team handled the big challenge they faced well, and on one or two occasions had College in reverse.
Kearsney coach Neil van Heerden credited the team’s tighthead for leading the way up front: “Our captain Anele Cele was phenomenal,” Van Heerden said. “He’s very underrated. He’s signed with the Bulls for next year. They rate him very highly.
“He was going up against Kubheka, who is highly rated. It was not a surprise to us. It was a surprise to everyone else, but we know what Anele is capable of.”
Kearsney, too, had to shake off some rust. They had played matches against Witteberg and Hentie Cilliers previously, but they welcomed five players into the side who had previously been kept busy by cricket and water polo commitments. Still, the home team’s play did not feature as many balls spilled in the tackle and misdirected passes, so typical of first games, as College’s did.
Cele and company took the game to Maritzburg College from the start, and they were rewarded for their industry when Daniel Eager put them 3-0 in front in the 14th minute from a penalty, just outside of the 22, and almost directly in front.
On that point, there were far too many penalties conceded by both sides, which would not have pleased the coaches. Both teams will know they need to improve their discipline in a major way.
College worked their way back onto the attack, but a missed lineout on Kearsney’s 22 led to a sweeping counterattack, with the ball being bobbled about by a number of players after it was grubbered deep into the visitors’ quarter.
Kearsney regained possession and with the pack working well together they forced their way over the tryline for the first five-pointer of the contest. Eager’s conversion attempt was wide, but Kearsney enjoyed an 8-0 advantage.
Right before the break, College had Kearsney under the pump, inside their 22. The Red, Black and White very nearly scored under the uprights, but Jake Jansen had the ball ripped away mere centimetres above the ground as he dived over.
Still, captain Kubheka and his men kept pressing, but Kearsney doggedly resisted and managed to keep College at bay until the halftime whistle sounded.
It didn’t take long for College to get on the board in the second half, however. They missed an early penalty, but after only three minutes, a series of surges by the forwards had them in under the posts. The easy conversion left them only one point adrift at 7-8.
Kearsney responded in the best possible manner only two minutes later. From a lineout midway inside the Maritzburg 22, Kearsney swiftly moved the ball inside for a well-timed crash ball. Then, with the College pack scrambling to get back and getting drawn into the ruck, loosehead Kudak Kachambwa broke off the side and powered his way over the line.
Maritzburg College then turned up the heat and won a series of penalties inside the Kearsney half. They took a lineout and drive option on a number of occasions, but the home team defended those thrusts well.
However, the pressure told eventually and, with 15 minutes to play, the visitors created a big overlap on the left and they were in for their second try to the left of the posts. A successful conversion gave College their first lead of the day, at 14-13. It was a lead, but it was a tenuous one.
In the 65th minute, a breakout by Maritzburg nearly lead to a further try, but a wayward forward pass, forced by a desperate covering tackle, stopped the Red, Black and White from adding to their total with the try line mere metres away.
Desperately, still a point behind, Kearsney took a long range shot at goal with less than a minute remaining, but Eager’s kick came up short. Still, they forced a lineout with a good chase of the kick and from there they won a short arm penalty.
Kearsney’s forwards drove hard at College, and the visitors were caught offsides. Eager had another chance to win it for the home team. This time, from the 22, and about 18 metres in from the left-hand touchline, his aim was true and a massive roar from the home supporters filled the ground.
The final whistle sounded, and the Kearsney 1st XV players were swamped by their school schoolmates.
Putting the win into perspective, Kearsney coach Neil van Heerden said: “It is no secret that Kearsney has had a few tough years. But we’ve really got some direction in our programme, and these things have been brewing for the last three years, and no one else has been able to see them, because they’re obviously going to look at the 1st XV results. Finally, we feel we can show the province that we are a force to be reckoned with, that Kearsney College is back on the rugby map.”
He also paid tribute to the never-say-die attitude of his charges, saying: “I’ve learned with this group of boys – I’ve been with them since u16 – we had so many games like this in u16, where they never gave up and they always find a way to win.
“I thought we were the better team the whole game long, but when it really mattered in the second half, we let ourselves down. But these guys always find a way. I’m sure College will look at the footage and wonder how they lost the game.”
Maritzburg College coach Tim Orchard looked very disappointed, maybe more by his team’s performance than by the result. “Very frustrating. We were cold. They had a couple of games under their belt, and it showed,” he said.
“We have to be better than this.”
Result
Kearsney College 16 (8) – Maritzburg College 14 (0)
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