Mentoe seals the double for Bishops over SACS
Diocesan College showed immense character to claw their way back in the second half against SACS to be in the position that allowed their star fullback, Gilermo Mentoe to convert a penalty in the dying moments to secure their 27-25 victory against their rivals in the oldest rugby derby in the country.
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With a rivalry that stretches back as far as 1892, the two proud southern suburb schools take great pride in the yearly competition between them.
With this victory, Bishops complete the double over SACS this year, having also beaten them earlier in the season by 31-25 on the Piley Rees field.
SACS dominated the first half, getting to the break with a healthy 22-10 lead, but the Bishops boys were untiring, spurred on by another top-class performance by Mentoe.
The home team scored their final points just over five minutes into the second half when Bishops found their rhythm and ran 17 unanswered points through to pull off a stunning comeback victory.
Bishops’ electric centre, Nic Allison, kept their hopes alive with a well-worked try in the first half, but it was up to his fullback, Mentoe, who has been phenomenal all season, to make the difference.
Mentoe scored two tries, two conversions and a penalty to add 17 points to his team’s score, with the final three coming at a crucial moment after the playing time had elapsed to give Diocesan College the lead when it mattered most.
The hosts’ fullback, Aya Machuli, also stood out and got over the line for SACS along with his two loose forwards, Niche Koopman (eighth man) and Richard Skeeles (flanker), but it was ultimately not enough to deny Bishops.
Rondebosch Boys’ High had to sweat for their victory against Wynberg Boys’ High in Rondebosch.
A try by their big, stalwart prop, Justin Amos, converted by the trusted boot of their left winger, Ethan Gordon, saw the home team go into the break leading by a single point.
Though there were four more tries scored in the second half, they would protect this margin for a 21-20 victory, which set them up perfectly for their big clash against Bishops to bring an end to the season next weekend.
Wynberg fought valiantly, with their flyhalf, Yaqeen Ahmed, leading the charge for his team once again with his educated kicking boot.
They will definitely also want to see out their season on a high when they host SACS next weekend.
These results also add to the excitement of the final leg between Bishops and Rondebosch Boys’ High next weekend. Both teams have only lost once against their southern suburb rivals. Bishops slipped up against Wynberg last weekend, losing 27-20 on their home field, while the Rondebosch boys lost against Bishops by 13-8 in Rondebosch.
The return leg promises another classic to bring an end to what has been an extremely impressive season for the Cape Town schools.
The scorers:
Diocesan College 27 (10) – Tries: Gilermo Mentoe (2), Nic Allison, Ayanda Bonoyi. Conversions: Mentoe (2). Penalty: Mentoe. SACS 25 (22) – Tries: Niche Koopman, Aya Machuli, Richard Skeeles. Conversions: Rayaan Solomons (2). Penalties: Solomons (2).
Rondebosch Boys’ High 21 (7) – Tries: Justin Amos, Carl Geddie, Juandre Welthagen. Conversions: Ethan Gordon (3). Wynberg Boys’ High 20 (6) – Tries: Luqobo Makwedini, Montgomery Loggenberg. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (2). Penalties: Ahmed (2).
Other scores:
u19 B – SACS II 24, Diocesan College II 12; Rondebosch Boys’ High II 27, Wynberg Boys’ High II 13.
u16 – SACS 37, Diocesan College 12; Rondebosch Boys’ High 41, Wynberg Boys’ High 21.
u15 – SACS 7, Diocesan College 3; Wynberg Boys’ High 29, Rondebosch Boys’ High 6.
u14 – SACS 45, Diocesan College 6; Rondebosch Boys’ High 10, Wynberg Boys’ High 3.
