Queen’s triumphs over Selborne
Queen’s College was able to transform a titanic first-half battle into a comfortable 40-22 win over their arch-rivals, Selborne College, in their King Price Derby Series match, in Komani, on Saturday.
The Rec Ground has often been a graveyard for visiting teams and that proved to be the case in a classic showdown as the home team ran away with the game in the second half after leading just 15-14 at the break.
Queen’s are at their most dangerous when they start building momentum and begin to run the ball at will, and that approach enabled them to celebrate their 167th school reunion on a spectacular note.
With Thina Fenako prominent in the midfield and Mveli Mqulo always a threat from the back, Fenako and speedy wing Ncutu Kepe each crossed for a brace of tries.
Selborne delivered a typically gutsy performance and finished off the scoring with a try by prop Robert John-Osunkwo, but they were unable to plug the gaps in the second half as the Queenians took control with an entertaining display of flowing rugby.
The visitors, to their credit, had the better of the early exchanges and it was only determined defence by Queen’s which kept them from crossing the line.
As they pressed upfield, the home side was rewarded for a committed chase. After kicking ahead, quick work by their backs saw Fenako burst over for his first try.
Selborne still dominated territory, though, and they were finally rewarded when a forward charge saw Liam Hansen cross the line for their first points.
After conceding a penalty, Selborne went over for a second try, scored by Connor Maree, to lead for the only time in the match.
Queen’s had a golden chance to retake the lead, but a great try-saving tackle saw centre Sbabalwe Magwebu lose the ball over the line.
They, however, got their noses back in front when the lively Mqulo chipped ahead and gathered his kick to score and give the home side a one-point lead at halftime.
After the break, Queen’s found their rhythm on attack and a superb cross-kick from Mqulo saw Kepe grab the ball out of the air and outpace the Selborne defence for his first try.
The hosts began to build scoreboard pressure with penalties by Mqulo and electrifying bursts by forwards Jeffrey Niland and Sambesiwe Vetman, which had the Selbornians scrambling in defence.
That put Queen’s on the front foot and the result was never in doubt once they had established a telling lead, despite Selborne’s persistence with their third try late in the game.
In Gqeberha, Grey High registered their biggest win over Dale College since 2013 when they cruised to a decisive 43-3 victory.
Despite their dominance, it was a game filled with errors, while a number of injuries and cards shown by the referee also disrupted the rhythm of the encounter.
The home team crossed for four tries in the first half to establish their dominance and led 24-3 at the break.
In East London, Graeme College capitalised on several Cambridge errors to power their way to a 50-10 win after leading 24-10 at halftime.
The home side was impressive in the early part of the match but Graeme played an intelligent game, setting up inside Cambridge’s half, and when Cambridge made mistakes in the wrong areas Graeme was able to take charge and run in eight tries.
The match between Hudson Park and Marlow Agricultural was cancelled because of a water-logged field.
SCORERS
Queen’s College 40 (15) – Tries: Thina Fenako (2), Ncutu Kepe (2), Acwenga Saul, Mveli Mqulo; Penalties: Mveli Mqulo (2); Conversions: Mveli Mqulo (2). Selborne College 22 (14) – Tries: Liam Hansen, Connor Maree, Robert John-Osunkwo; Penalty: Khazimla Qavile; Conversions: Khazimla Qavile (2).
