Results – Day 2 – Kearsney College Easter Festival
The final game of the second day of the Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival saw Selborne College take on HTS Middelburg. The plattelanders played in conditions that they were not familiar with and it was Selborne that dominated with the ball in hand and territorially.
It took Selborne just a few minutes to open the scoring when centre Mnombo Zwelendaba broke through the defence to give Thomas Bursey an easy conversion and a 7-0 lead. Bursey added a penalty shortly after to increase the lead to 10-0.
After spending most of the time in the Middelburg half, a forward move saw prop Nolan Kemp burst over the line for a try. This time the conversion went wide. A minute later centre, Sibabalwe Xamlashe stepped through a gap passing to the supporting lock, Dean Stokes, who powered over the line. This time Bursey converted. The lead was extended to 27-0 when Zwelendaba scored his second try.
Middelburg played their best rugby of the half in the last few minutes after two attacks on the Selborne line being stopped just short. This left the half time score at 27-0.
Early in the second half Bursey converted a penalty to increase the score to 30-0. Middelburg were playing with more intensity following the break and a good 70m run down the left touchline by Leonard Olivier saw him scoring under the posts for Morne Sonnekus to convert.
Bursey added a long range penalty to increase the score to 33-7. With 14 minutes left on the clock.
With just five minutes remaining Middelburg had another good period of play, putting pressure on Selborne and keeping them pinned in their 22m area. This resulted in a try by centre Joubert Willers with Sonnekus converting – 14 points to Middelburg in the second half.
With time up on the clock, Selborne were attacking, but a mistake allowed Middelburg to counter with a kick ahead and a chase. Quintino October got to the ball first and dotted down for a try which narrowed Selborne’s lead to 33-19.
Scorers:
Selborne: Tries Mnombo Zwelendaba (2), Nolan Kemp, Dean Stokes; Conversions Thomas Bursey (2); Penalties Thomas Bursey (2). HTS Middelburg: Tries Lenard Olivier, Joubert Willers, Quintino October; Conversions Morne Sonnekus (2)
Glenwood came into this match against Dale College as favourites, but Dale can hold their heads high as in the first half they played the typical Dalian way.
They tackled and, with ball in hand, made metres; but it was Glenwood’s SA schools player and scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse who was their general. His passing, his relieving kicks and general management on the field held Dale at bay.
Hendrikse’s long range penalties and the conversion of lock Lunga Ncube’s try gave Glenwood a 13-0 lead. It was only in the final 10 minutes of the first half that they increased their halftime lead to 25-0.
With Dale on attack, a dropped ball was picked up by Glenwood. Straight running, with support on either side of the ball carrier, Hendrikse was the final recipient. He sprinted the final 20m to score, but this time missed a relatively easy conversion.
On the stroke of halftime, hooker Jhaques Thyssen powered over from a ruck following a lineout. This time Hendrikse added the extra points for their 25-point lead.
It took Glenwood another 14 minutes into the second half to score their next points. They came from a solo effort by eighth man Freddie Slabbert who jinxed his way through the Dale players to score from 40m out, giving Hendrikse an easy conversion and the team a 32-0 lead.
Just two minutes later Glenwood were on attack again and this time the ball was spread rapidly through the hands from right to left, where wing Aaron le Roux completed the move for a try in the corner. Hendrikse again added the extra points with a pinpoint conversion, giving Glenwood a 39-point lead.
In the final few minutes Dale gave of their best, but Glenwood prevented them making any progress. The final whistle and a score of 39-0 showed the dominance of Glenwood. Dale, however, played far better rugby than they had on the first day against Framesby.
Point scorers:
Glenwood: Tries Jayden Hendrikse, Lunga Ncube, Jhaques Thyssen, Aaron le Roux, Freddie Slabbert; Conversions Jayden Hendrikse (4); Penalties Jayden Hendrikse (2)
With slightly more visibility, the third match of the day between home side Kearsney College and Hoerskool Noord-Kaap was another closely contested game.
Kearsney opened the scoring after 12 minutes when some sustained pressure saw flyhalf Taine Muirhead pop a pass to fullback Jacques Odendaal to dummy and go over in the corner, giving the hosts a 5-0 lead.
Noord-Kaap equalised a short while later when their livewire scrumhalf Craig Ockhuis broke from the base of the scrum to dive over for an unconverted try.
Kearsney went into an 8-5 lead which they held until the break, when Odendaal converted a penalty.
During the second half the mist thickened and swirled again. Despite the wet conditions, handling by both teams was good and some enterprising backline movements were enjoyed by the crowd.
Kimberley player DS van Niekerk converted a penalty to level the scores at 8-all.
The home side took the lead again to 13-8, when hooker Reid Stuart scored after a ruck.
Noord-Kaap again narrowed the gap when Van Niekerk kicked a long-range penalty, but it was Kearsney who were dominating the forward exchanges and winning greater possession. They were rewarded when Odendaal sent a long pass out to the left, finding eighth man and captain Andrew Harding unmarked. Harding obliged by running 10m to score in the corner. This time Odendaal split the uprights with a good kick to take a 20-11 lead, which they held to the final whistle.
Point scorers:
Kearsney: Tries Jacques Odendaal, Reid Stuart, Andrew Harding; Conversion Jacques Odendaal; Penalty Jacques Odendaal
Noord-Kaap: Try Craig Ockhuis; Penalties DS van Niekerk (2)
With the mist thickening, much of the game between Durban High School (DHS) and Queen’s College was played with spectators struggling to see across the field. Despite the wet conditions, handling on both sides was good.
It was Queen’s who dominated the first quarter and they were rewarded with a try when scrumhalf Aviwe Kanuka broke from a scrum, passing to his flyhalf Sinethemba Tshunungwa, who broke through several tackles to score close to the uprights. Kanuka added the points for a 7-0 lead.
DHS, who had missed one penalty at the posts when it hit the upright, then converted from closer to the touchline and Shakur la Douce opened their points to trail 3-7.
Both sides had further opportunities, but it was not until a few minutes from half-time that a Queen’s player lost the ball in a ruck close to the goal line, and DHS flank Asande Mnguni toed the ball forward and fell on it over the goal-line for a 5-pointer. It was well covered by La Douce to take DHS into a 10-7 lead at the break.
The mist thickened even further and it became difficult even to see halfway across the field. Going into the last quarter with 14 players after a yellow card, DHS won ball, swung it to the right with scrumhalf Jaydian Cedares running wide and an inside pass to fullback McNeil Jenner who went over for a try. This was again converted by La Douce for a 17-7 lead.
With just three minutes remaining in the game, DHS, with some enterprising passing, moved down the left for hooker Stoney Stenekamp to score a try in the corner. La Douce again slotted the kick for DHS to win 24-7.
Point scorers:
DHS: Tries Asande Mnguni, McNeil Jenner, Stoney Stenekamp; Conversions Shakur la Douce (3); Penalty Shakur la Douce
Queen’s: Try Sinethemba Tshunungwa; Conversion Aviwe Kanuka
In contrast to the heat of the first day of the festival, Day 2 started with mist rolling in over the Stott field. The first half, between Pretoria Boys and Hoerskool Framesby who had both won their fixtures on Thursday, was played largely between the two 22m areas.
There appeared no game breakers in either side, so good defence prevented players breaking away. It was 13 minutes before Pretoria broke through into the Framesby 22m area, but they were thwarted from scoring.
At half-time Framesby led 6-3 after two well-struck penalties by fullback Peter Scholtz, to one by Pretoria’s fullback Justin Cross, the latter just on half-time.
The game livened up when Pretoria flyhalf Dylan Thompson ghosted through a gap, sprinting to score the first try of the game. This was converted, again by Cross, for a 10-6 lead.
Framesby forwards powered their way to the Pretoria line and, with some pick and go, keeping the ball in hand, prop Morne Prince forced his way over. The conversion was taken by Andre Gerber to put the Eastern Cape side back into a 13-10 lead.
Light drizzle made the ball slippery, but Framesby managed to hold on to their narrow three-point lead in an evenly contested and exciting contest.
Point scorers:
Hoërskool Framesby: Try Morne Prince; Conversion Andre Gerber; Penalties Peter Scholtz (2)
Pretoria Boys High: Try Dylan Thompson; Conversion Justin Cross; Penalty Justin Cross
