Last second winner for Louis Botha against Sentraal

HTS Louis Botha compounded Sentraal‘s woes on Thursday evening, leaving their Bloemfontein opponents still chasing a first win of the season after they sneaked a thrilling 17-12 victory in Tralies’ backyard.
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It took a while for the game to get going, but the “Hatties” slowly gained the ascendency, thanks to their dominance in the set pieces.
Neo Mothibeli‘s accuracy in the lineout gave his side a weapon to chip away at the Tralies’ defences.
At scrum time, the Louis Botha forwards outmuscled the hosts, too, making it difficult for them to launch attacks without a steady platform.
Still, the visitors made their own lives difficult by failing to exit effectively, which allowed Tralies to gain territory every time they were in possession.
They also caught out the Louis Botha defenders with a trick play at a 5m lineout. The visitors were fast asleep to the danger, which allowed Steven Smith to stroll in for the easiest try he’s likely to score in his rugby career.
Just before half-time, however, Louis Botha earned a reward for their efforts when their big lock, Mogomotsi Mokunyane, stretched over for the first of his two tries.
The home team rustled up a response after the break, when their lanky no. 8, Schalk Linde, stormed over for their second five-pointer.
The Hatties could sense they were close to scoring, though, and they kept up their intensity throughout the match. Mokunyane, then, reaped the rewards of his tireless work when he grounded the ball for his second try after a period of relentless pressure by the visiting side.
Fullback, Nkokheli November, levelled the scores by putting the conversion between the uprights and it was game on for the final 10 minutes.
After a frantic back-and-forth, Tralies found themselves under pressure on their goal line in the dying seconds, and when a clearance kick went awry, wing Refilwe Motelung was there to collect the ball and score the winning try.
On Friday, Ficksburg also pulled off a stunning last-second win over their visitors from Ladybrand.
A charge-down try after regulation time had run out saw the hosts break the deadlock against a valiant Ladybrand team.
Scorers
HTS Louis Botha 17 (5) – Tries: Mogomotsi Mokunyane (2), Refilwe Motelung. Conversion: Nkokheli November. Sentraal 12 (7) – Tries: Steven Smith, Schalk Linde. Conversion: Lee Yagin Arendse.
Ficksburg 24 – Tries: Xander Myburgh, Khotso Potloane, Morne Swanepoel, Motlatsi Mohapi. Conversions: Oratilwe Shata (2). Ladybrand 17 – Tries: Katleho Ramakone (2), Ronaldo Martins. Conversion: Nicholas Schori.
Other results
u16 – Sentraal 43, HTS Louis Botha 0; Sentraal B 38, Grey College E 7.
u15 – Sentraal 45, HTS Louis Botha 5; Sentraal B 49, Grey College F 5.
u14 – Sentraal 38, HTS Louis Botha 7; Sentraal B 17, Grey College F 12.