Monument holds on against Milnerton, Glenwood overturns Dale
Monument vs Milnerton
A physical onslaught on both sides of the ball from Hoërskool Monument was enough to earn them a 26-21 win over a spirited Milnerton High School in the first game of the final day of the Standard Bank Kearsney College Easter Rugby Festival.
Monnas shared a 26-26 draw with Glenwood on day one, which was followed by a 17-32 defeat to Durban High School (DHS) on Saturday, while the Western Cape side downed Peterhouse 34-18 in their opener before coming unstuck against Glenwood, losing 34-37 after the Durban school landed a last-gasp penalty.
The last time Monument left the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival winless was in 2012, and it was clear from the outset that the Krugersdorp school wasn’t keen on ending their successful streak on Monday.
Much like they did against Glenwood, Milnerton staged another rousing comeback to lead 21-19 at one stage, but ultimately they
fell just short.
Juandré Ehlers set the scoreboard in motion when he barged over early on for the team in white, with Morgan Lodewyk, who was otherwise his side’s best player, missing a rather straightforward penalty attempt for Milnerton minutes later.
Monument went on to take control of proceedings from there, while Milnerton struggled to gain any kind of foothold in the contest.
A clever tap-and-go from Wit Bulle tighthead Juandré Marais, from five metres out, led to their second try, before a third through blindside flank, Ryno van der Westhuizen, made it 19-0 at the break.
The introduction off the bench of the Sellidon twins, Chadlin and Chadwin, resulted in a huge upturn in Milnerton’s fortunes, with the diminutive duo pulling three excellent tries back between them in the third quarter, to edge their side into an unlikely two-point lead.
However, Cornelius Mostert set up Ewan van der Walt to go over for five and Monument edged in front once more. This time, Milnerton was all out of answers.
Glenwood vs Dale College
Glenwood High School overcame a valiant Dale College defensive effort to claim a 33-12 victory in the day’s second game.
That victory ensured the KZN outfit leaves Botha’s Hill unbeaten after a draw with Hoërskool Monument and a narrow win over Milnerton High School in their first two matches.
Dale, meanwhile, made huge improvements in their third outing, following earlier defeats to Hoërskool Durbanville and the hosts, Kearsney College. They’ll take heart from a determined and proud performance against their more-fancied opponents.
For all of Glenwood’s territorial dominance throughout the game, they struggled to break down Dale, with the boys from the Eastern Cape defending manfully and living off scraps.
Lesedi Khumalo scored first up for Glenwood before Milani Madide finished off a spectacular 80m try for the Daleians, which began on the left-hand touchline and ended in the right-hand corner.
Inga Mafanga had a penalty opportunity to put Dale ahead with just over three minutes of the first half-hour remaining, but he pulled it wide. Just before the break, lock Tylo Madaat crossed for a try for the Green Machine, who led 12-7 at the break.
A Kungawo Jaca smash-and-grab five-pointer brought Dale to within two points early in the second half, but further tries for Glenwood tries through Lizwe Mtetwa and Lian Lochner, who touched down twice, all but sealed the deal.
SCORERS
Hoërskool Monument 26 (19) – Tries: Juandré Ehlers, Juandré Marais, Ryno van der Westhuizen, Ewan van der Walt. Conversions: Jaydon Viljoen (3); Milnerton 21 (0) – Tries: Chadlin Sellidon (2), Chadwin Sellidon. Conversions: Chadwin Sellidon (3).
Glenwood 33 (14) – Tries: Lian Lochner (2), Nkululeko Khumalo, Tylo Madaat, Lizwe Mtetwa. Conversions: Joshua Kopp (4); Dale College 12 (5) – Tries: Milani Madide, Kungawo Jaca. Conversions: Inga Mafanga.
