St Charles handles Clifton, Northwood and Michaelhouse richly entertain
The Sharks High Schools’ Rugby Day didn’t draw big crowds. It was, after all, a Friday, but Hilton College was bathed in ideal conditions for some quality competition as five matches took place, serving, also, as trials for Craven Week selection.
St Charles College vs Clifton College
St Charles College and Clifton College kicked off proceedings on the Weightman-Smith Field just as the day began to warm up, but Saints immediately turned up the heat with a blistering start, racing into a 19-0 lead, thanks to their quick off-loading game.
Within the first two minutes, right-wing Mathew Ludick was put in the clear to open the scoring. Agape Nyawo, after a big bust by Matthew Naudé, sold a dummy before slipping through to go in for five more, and before the 10-minute mark St Charles had their third, with a favourable bounce of the ball and a slip from a Clifton defender enabling Saints to regather a kick, and one pass inside put flyhalf AJ Bosman over.
Clifton, to their credit, after that shaky start, came back strongly. Playing the game down in the St Charles’ half, they went close when Lukhanyiso Nala was held up over the try line, but they bashed their way over from the resulting five-metre scrum through Danyaal Motala.
Nala, then, made good ground down the right flank before being hauled to the ground, but he popped up later in the same movement to power over for a second Clifton try. Adam Selikow slotted his second conversion and it was 19-14 at halftime. Game on!
The second half, though, belonged to St Charles, who stretched their lead to win going away by a 47-14 margin. Carl Chekera, Mathew Ludick, Agape Nyawo, and Raphael Ajibade added tries, with AJ Bosman converting all four to secure a comfortable win.
Ajibade came off the bench to set up one try and to score another. He’s a special athlete, but he was a substitute because he is carrying a shoulder injury. The selectors wanted to see him in action, though, and he gave them something to think about.
Saints’ coach Craig Dwyer was happy with his side’s showing: “The whole bench got a run at the end, which was lekker to see. It was good,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “We had a good fast start, which was what we were aiming for. We aimed to put pressure on them early on. In that last 10 minutes of the half, we took our foot off the accelerator a little bit, but it was a much better performance.”
Last time out, St Charles went down 16-26 to Maritzburg College after a hard battle. Dwyer said the team exhibited some pleasing improvements against Clifton. “I think our ball retention was a lot better. We fixed our lineout woes,” he said. “Against College, we had a few blips. Again, we have young players and we were missing Rafa Ajibade at the start of the game, which was huge for us. But the younger players stepped up.
“We were able to build pressure and get them on the back foot and strike when it mattered most.”
Clifton will take heart from a very good period of play after going three tries down. They moved the ball well while playing the game in the St Charles half, with forwards and backs combining well, but the Pietermaritzburg school’s slick handling paid off in the second stanza.
Northwood vs Michaelhouse
The day’s second match was between Northwood and Michaelhouse. When they met at the start of the season, Northwood snatched a 15-13 win on Reece-Edwards Field. This time around, it was a far higher-scoring game and the most entertaining contest of the day, with the Knights coming away with a hard-fought 43-29 victory.
It was a fascinating match. Rourke O’Sullivan opened the scoring with a try for Michaelhouse in the left-hand corner, and then it became a back-and-forth battle. With only five minutes remaining, the Knights led just 33-29, but they finished well, with a superb try from Ludi van der Walt giving them some breathing space.
“Really well done to [Michaelhouse coach] James Fleming and his team,” Northwood’s coach Jacques Deen said after a thrilling game. “I know half of these [Michaelhouse] boys after coaching them at the Grant Khomo Week. They are a really good team. They are physical, they’re strong, they’re well-drilled. That came at us today, but we were the better team. We stuck to what we needed to do.”
Northwood’s scrum edged the battle up front, putting Michaelhouse under heavy pressure, which was exactly what Deen was after. He explained: “If our set pieces work, then it gets to a point where we’re 80 percent there. If those things work, then everything else falls in place and we’re a successful team.”
There was, as there often is, a superb try from Knights’ centre Bongane Khumalo, who reads the game well and has fantastic fast feet, although, arguably, the sweetest individual effort of the day came from Michaelhouse flyhalf, Stefan Moolman, when he danced his way through the Northwood defence.
Jamie Wimble, at number eight for Northwood, impressed. He’s an excellent all-rounder in cricket, and those ball skills and his intelligent reading of play, along with his power, make him a handful.
Northwood’s locks, Chad Howe and Lian Terblanche, sparkled, too, but it was, ultimately, a team effort that got them over the line.
“We are a team. We don’t rely on individuals, even though we’ve got players like Jamie Wimble, Sphe Ntshangase, Bongane Khumalo, Savio Stevens, Tristan Parkinson, and more,” coach Deen said.
“At the end of the day, they can’t do it without the other guys. A lot of other teams are more reliant on individuals, but we’re successful because we’re 15 players.”
‘House skipper William Ridl played his part, scoring a couple of tries, the first of which highlighted the physical challenge he poses.
When the final whistle sounded, though, Northwood had scored six tries to four. Trevor van Volenstee added five conversions and a penalty just four minutes from time. That decision to take the kick and not try for a lineout and drive over the line underlined how close it was until the end.
Stefan Moolman contributed 14 points for Michaelhouse, adding a penalty and three conversions to his sensational try.
SCORES
St Charles 47 (19) – Agape Nyawo (2), Carl Chekera, Likuthi Mbalana, Matthew Ludick, AJ Bosman, Raphael Ajibade. Conversions: AJ Bosman (6). Clifton College 14 (14) – Tries: Lukhanyiso Nala, Danyaal Motala. Conversions: Adam Selikow (2).
Northwood 43 (19) – Tries: Lusanda Mabizela, Bongane Khumalo, Chad Howe, Jamie Wimble, Lian Terblanche, Ludi van der Walt. Conversions: Trevor van Volenstee (5). Penalty: Trevor van Volenstee; Michaelhouse 29 (15) – William Ridl (2), Rourke O’Sullivan, Stefan Moolman. Conversions: Stefan Moolman (3). Penalty: Stefan Moolman.
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