Robbies’ defence earns them derby win over Charlies
Hoërskool Robertson has been a high scoring team all season. However, on Saturday, their defence stole the spotlight.
While they put only 20 points on the board, playing away from home, they kept Charlie Hofmeyr scoreless in their King Price Derby Series clash.
Robbies‘ flyhalf, Jaydan van Niekerk, collected five points from a conversion and penalty. He was also instrumental on attack, running creative lines to put his centres through defensive openings.
Meanwhile, Charlies‘ fullback, Shandley Burrows, found himself surrounded by traffic whenever he received the ball.
The visiting defence saw right through their host’s every move. They were quick to close down the spaces and contested fiercely at the breakdowns.
Robbies’ eighthman, Victor Readin, stood out, earning his fair share of the ball at ruck time, and he carried strongly, too, which brought him a try.
Charlies’ eighthman, Gerhard Goosen, found himself being the second jackal at the breakdown. He was solid on attack but was unable to breech the Robertson try-line. The home side’s loose forwards were outpaced and left to play with less possession than the visitors.
Their scrumhalf, Phillip Boshoff, tried every trick in the book, prying for a weakness in the Robertson defence, but Robbies were on their game and had an answer to every question posed.
If they are to win next year’s derby, then Charlie Hofmeyr will need to figure out how to beat the Robbies’ defensive rush. It flummoxed them on Saturday.
For Robertson, their victory was a proud turnaround. In last season’s clash, they were well beaten, going down 8-29 to a Luan Giliomee-inspired Charlie Hofmeyr team that went unbeaten.
Scorers
Robertson 20 (5) – Tries: Haygen Persent, Victor Readin, Juwaydan van Niekerk. Conversion: Jaydan van Niekerk. Penalty: Jaydan van Niekerk; Charlie Hofmeyr 0.
Other Results
U19 – Charlies II 17 Robbies II 14, Charlies III 10 Robbies III 7.
U16 – Charlies A 72 Robbies A 7.
U15 – Charlies A 15 Robbies A 12, Charlies B 19 Robbies B 5.
U14 – Charlies A 28 Robbies 17, Charlies B 37 Robbies B 0.
