Maritzburg College completes long awaited double over Glenwood
Maritzburg College claimed a first season’s double over Glenwood since 2005 when they recorded a 39-20 win over the Green Machine on Goldstone’s on Saturday.
Early in the second half, the game was tied at 15-15, but the Red, Black and White never trailed. They had a little more in the tank and they pulled away to win comfortably in the end.
On a sunny afternoon, it took almost 12 minutes for College to break through Glenwood’s hard-hitting defence. Eventually, though, after sucking in the Green Machine’s defenders with a series of pick and goes, scrumhalf Rayke Maartens sent the ball wide to the right and flyhalf Jordan Thackeray cruised over for a try, having outflanked the visiting team’s defenders.
A superb 50/22 kick from the visitors’ flyhalf Juan Viljoen then gave Glenwood possession in the home side’s 22. From there, they won themselves a penalty and Viljoen slotted the kick to start his side’s tally rolling.
A huge scrum, which resulted in a tighthead, almost put 8th-man Imivuyo Kemke over for a try. College had to settle for a penalty, however, and Thackeray had no problem with a straightforward kick to bump the College lead back up to five points.
The Red, Black and White were bossing territory and from a lineout inside the Glenwood 22, they scored again. After taking the ball through a number of phases, no. 10 Thackeray sold a dummy and ghosted through the visitors’ defence to touch down beneath the uprights. He tacked on the extras, too.
While results have not gone Glenwood’s way in 2024, their fighting spirit has never been in doubt, and they put that on display as they arrested College’s momentum.
Just before halftime, they forced their way over in the left-hand corner from a five-metre lineout. Then, they charged out of their 22 from the second half kick-off, flying up the right-hand touchline and into the home team’s 22. When they won a penalty, they kicked for touch, and their captain Junior van Wyngaardt made it count by crashing over from the subsequent rolling maul.
Flyhalf Viljoen sent the conversion sailing between the uprights from near the touchline and it was all square at 15-15.
Maritzburg College had, however, made most of the running in the first half, and they soon seized the momentum and the lead again.
With five minutes of the second half elapsed, Glenwood was in possession and fed a scrum midway between their 22 and the halfway line. When the ball squirted out the side, College scrumhalf Maartens pounced on it and was quickly up to full speed, racing away, and challenging the Green Machine’s defenders.
Approaching the Glenwood 22, he cut to his left and, when he was taken down, he offloaded to Luyanda Kunene. The fullback injected further pace into the offensive thrust. Cutting inside and then outside, he crashed over in a tackle for a try.
Scoring ceased for the next 25 minutes, but it was Kunene who again undid the visitors’ defences. He jetted over in the left-hand corner and then raced in to dive down behind the posts. Thackeray knocked over the conversion and College enjoyed a 27-15 advantage.
Glenwood tried to give the ball air, but they were playing the game in the wrong areas of the field, pinned back deep inside their own half.
Then, when the home side splintered Glenwood’s lineout defence, close to the try line, the Durban boys brought the rolling maul to ground, but they did so illegally. The referee signalled a penalty try.
Coach Derek Heiberg‘s team hurried to kick off again, eager to chase points as time wound down. College fullback Luyanda Kunene counterattacked and carried the ball back to halfway. There, however, Glenwood turned over possession. They fed the ball to the backline where centre Lizwe Mtetwa grubbered through the host’s defensive line.
It was untidy as College tried to get their hands on the ball. Glenwood, instead, toed it ahead and chased. They were rewarded with another try.
The final say, though, belonged to Maritzburg College. They attacked from the kick off, first probing the left flank, then probing the right flank of the field.
When the attack went to ground in midfield, just outside the Glenwood 22, scrumhalf Maartens picked up and sped to the right, angling towards the corner. He was tackled, but he was over for five points, which was a deserved reward for a very good all-round showing from the no. 9.
Thackeray’s conversion attempt was narrowly wide. The referee blew his whistle and Maritzburg College had won by 19 points, 39-20.
Scores
u19 – Maritzburg College I 39 Glenwood I 20; Maritzburg College II 40 Glenwood II 7; Maritzburg College III 24 Glenwood III 7; Maritzburg College IV 50 Glenwood IV 0; Maritzburg College V 50 Glenwood V 0; Maritzburg College VI 49 Glenwood VI 0; Maritzburg College VII 5 Glenwood VII 5
u16 – Maritzburg College A 56 Glenwood A 24; Maritzburg College B 40 Glenwood B 7; Maritzburg College C 33 Glenwood C 8; Maritzburg College D 50 Glenwood D 0; Maritzburg College E 31 Glenwood E 10
u15 – Maritzburg College A 23 Glenwood A 14; Maritzburg College B 27 Glenwood B 14; Maritzburg College C 31 Glenwood C 20; Maritzburg College D 12 Glenwood D 8; Maritzburg College E 50 Glenwood E 0
u14 – Maritzburg College A 17 Glenwood A 12; Maritzburg College B 14 Glenwood B 21; Maritzburg College C 26 Glenwood C 7; Maritzburg College D 17 Glenwood D 10; Maritzburg College E 21 Glenwood E 12
