Northwood stuns Westville, St Charles makes history at Glenwood
Westville vs Northwood
Westville Boys’ High welcomed Northwood to Bowden’s Field on Saturday for a showdown between exciting and in-form teams.
With home ground advantage, the Griffin might have fancied their chances, but the Knights made themselves at home from the first whistle to race into a stunning lead.
The contest began with both teams probing for territory with the boot. Then, Westville tried to attack down the left-hand touchline, but good defence saw Lian Terblanche turn over possession. When the ball was sent to flyhalf Siya Nkosi, he had summed up the situation in the blink of an eye, and sent a low, pinpoint kick out to Northwood’s left-hand touchline, where it was fielded by Ramatuku Sikhakhane.
He hit the gas, drew Jade-Will Koopman, the last defender, and put Carlos Lovell, on his outside, over in the corner, with a spectacular dive. One minute had been played.
Just two minutes later, Westville found themselves under massive pressure, thanks to a good kick and chase from Jed Mun-Gavin. His opposite number, Westville scrumhalf Ryan Pistor, was trapped in possession behind the try line, but the Griffin, either bravely or foolishly, kept the ball alive, shifting it left as a wave of Northwood defenders bore down on them.
Three passes were made behind the whitewash before Koopman moved a couple of metres over the line. He was blown up, though, for holding onto the ball at a ruck.
Mun-Gavin tapped quickly and, after an initial prod at the home team’s pack, the ball was let go down the backline to the left. Lovell, with a sweet show and step, went over for his second five-pointer, and the visitors had opened up a 10-point advantage.
They had momentum on their side, and they were playing the game in the right areas of the field.
Driving hard, deep inside the Westville 22, they were stopped just short of the try line. Mun-Gavin fed Nkosi, at flyhalf. He released the ball to Bongane Khumalo, who stabbed a beautifully judged grubber through the fast-closing defensive line. Fullback Aphiwe Buthelezi chased the ball, it sat up perfectly, and he made a dive for five.
A successful conversion kick had Northwood in charge, up 17-0 in the 17th minute.
The home team, at last, found a response six minutes later, and it was a special reply. Jadrian Afrikaner fielded a high up and under. As he caught the ball, he was tackled, but he managed to lay it off around his left shoulder, where Zekhethelo Siyaya was charging up. He raced down the sideline for about 40 metres before passing inside to centre Michael Satade, just outside the Northwood 22.
Turning on the afterburners, Satade angled back outside, rounding two men before he was cut down from behind. He had momentum on his side, however, and he was over for a try.
A penalty brought the score to Westville 8, Northwood 17 at the break.
Early in the second half, the exciting Jade-Will Koopman stepped his way over the Knights’ try line after a period of sustained pressure from the hosts.
The visitors responded well, driving their way deep into Westville territory. They were stopped from breaching the whitewash, but they had earned a penalty in front of the posts, barely 10 metres out, and the easy kick put them seven points clear.
Westville, though, had upped their game since getting themselves into a 0-17 hole, and they stormed back at Northwood.
Just before the hour-mark, flyhalf Unathi Mlotshwa hit Wandile Simelane with a fantastic flat pass, just inside the Northwood 10m line. He pinned his ears back, showing off his speed, just as he had done in scoring a long-range try against KES, and he was over beneath the uprights again.
The simple conversion kick from Mlotshwa levelled the scores at 20-20.
It didn’t take long for Westville to make their way deep into the Knights’ half once more. Flank, Brandon Eke, joined the backline on the blindside, creating an overlap, which opened up space for left wing Jadrian Afrikaner. The Sharks’ Craven Week selection was brought down just shy of the try line, with two defenders dragging him to the ground.
The Griffin, then, hit it up twice in succession, with a behind the back pass back to the inside picking out Jeshua Ferreira, who crashed over for five more, and another successful conversion put Westville 27-20 up. Since falling 0-17 behind, they had outscored the Knights 27-3, but the visitors were not done, and they demonstrated their character as they found a response.
It came with four minutes to play, from a lineout close to the Westville try line. A clean take and a concerted drive at the line splintered the Westville defence and Northwood was over. Savio Stevens, on as a substitute, coolly split the uprights with his conversion kick.
With a minute remaining, there was a scrum on the centre spot. Westville had enjoyed the better of the set pieces during the match, and they got the shove on Northwood. The referee, however, penalised the home side for scrumming inwards.
Quick as a flash, scrumhalf Mun-Gavin took the tap. He made some ground but was brought down. Westville, though, hadn’t retreated 10 metres and the referee awarded the penalty again. This time, though, it was on the Westville 10m line, within range of Stevens’ boot.
His aim was true, and Northwood had edged in front 30-27. From the kick-off, the visitors claimed possession, made ground through the midfield, and then flyhalf Siya Nkosi knocked the ball into the Northwood supporters, knowing the final whistle would sound with that last move.
It was another superb win for coach Jacques Deen‘s charges, who have done a fantastic job all season of rising to the challenges thrown their way. They won at Hilton, they drew with DHS, widely regarded as the best team in KZN, and on Saturday they claimed a hard-fought victory over the high-flying Griffin.
DHS might be number one, but Northwood has made a very strong case that they’re next in the provincial standings this season.
Glenwood vs St Charles College
The St Charles 1st XV of 2024 wrote their names into the record books on Saturday with a 32-19 victory against Glenwood, the first for the Pietermaritzburg school over the Green Machine since 1942. And it came on Dixon’s, Glenwood’s home ground.
The visitors showed no concern for past records, nor for their opponent’s vaunted reputation, and were full value for their 32-19 win.
They’re a team that thrives on running rugby, playing confidently with the ball in hand, and with some outstanding difference-makers, who truly showed their skills last season in sevens, when Saints made a big impact.
It took them less than three minutes to get onto the board. Their exciting lock, Raphael Ajibade, took a pass from a ruck. Yet, instead of the typical South African approach of bashing it up to suck in the defence, he immediately passed out to his right, just as the defenders had begun to converge on him.
Saints made ground up into the Glenwood 22 down the right, then brought the ball back to the left. Glenwood, though, won a put-in beneath the shadow of their posts. The visitors, however, as would happen throughout the contest, put the Green Machine into reverse. On this occasion, it won them a tighthead.
A long pass out to the right from scrumhalf Matthew Fick put Saints wide of the Glenwood defence and they were on their way.
Five times, St Charles crossed for tries, with Ukhanyo Ntsangani, Okuhle Peti, Stefan Veldsman, Sam Odell and Matthew Ludick all getting through the Glenwood defence which, in a challenging season, has usually been solid.
The Pietermaritzburg boys led 10-0, but Glenwood hit back with two tries of their own to take a 14-10 lead into half-time.
A bullocking run off the back of a scrum, inside the home team’s 22, from no. 8 and captain Stefan Veldsman restored the Saints’ lead in the second stanza. They didn’t concede it again.
They extended their advantage to 32-14 before Glenwood drove over for a late consolation try, but it had been an emphatic performance from the visitors.
Saints’ Director of Rugby, Craig Dwyer, a Glenwood old boy, praised his charges afterwards, saying they had been incredible in the build-up to the clash. He also commended their self-belief.
Clearly, he is enjoying the job he took up at the beginning of the year. Dwyer described the players as very coachable and “a great bunch of lads”, who put in extra work.
“We always talk about leaving the jersey in a better place. They have done that this year!” he reckoned.
On Saturday, 8 June, Saints are at Hilton College. A result prediction that might previously have been written in pen will now have to be written in pencil. St Charles is a serious team and, much like Northwood, they’re shaking up the established pecking order.
