St Stithians wins derby, St John’s romps to a 54-point victory
St Stithians made the most of their Old Boys’ Day, stunning their rivals, St Alban’s College, with a 26-16 win on Saturday.
After a superb start, Saints made sure they made it count with a superb team effort.
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Cullen Bradford opened the day with the first points after receiving a ball out wide, with a huge space in front of him, and the speedy fullback sprinted towards the corner pocket to score.
Saints’ flyhalf Chris Anderson, then, executed a classic dummy pass, deceiving the opposition before bursting through a gap to score a second try for the home side, which he followed up with an easy conversion from right in front of the poles.
Bradford was in the mix again, as the number 15, with an electrifying counterattack from inside the home team’s half, tore through the defence with blistering pace to score beneath the uprights
St Alban’s bounced back in the second half, but the damage had been done in the first half. Flanker Thabiso Mbembele and substitute Everett Gosling each scored for the Hoops, but it was not enough to help the visitors get over the line.
Over the last two weeks, St Alban’s has been struck by numerous injuries, which have forced six players, all in matric, to the sidelines. Coach Ofentse Moeng, bravely, viewed the setbacks optimistically, describing them as “a good opportunity to blood a few younger players for next year.”
On Burger Field, St John’s started their match off slowly as St Benedict’s put up a fight in the first half of the match, conceding only 14 points. The visitors defended well, led by some big hits from their captain Jason Cutler.
Fullback Oliver Tait and Joshua Shannon scored for the home team, with the latter powering over the try line and grounding the ball with authority for a much-needed crash-ball try. Bryson Walker had no problems adding the extras with the boot,
In the second half, however, the floodgates opened as St John’s piled on the pressure and scored 40 points in what became a one-sided affair.
Six different players crossed for tries, with Tait collecting a second five-pointer, while scrumhalf Tom Kruger scored two of his own tries and narrowly missed out on a hattrick.
St Benedict’s will be disappointed with the end result as their 2024 season continues to limp along. Next weekend, they host St David’s Marist Inanda on their Old Boys’ Weekend, hoping for a different outcome.
Perhaps a reshuffle in positions or a change in tactics might be an option for Bennies, given how their season has gone so far. Maybe a slight gamble could pay off.
St David’s, meanwhile, will head into next weekend’s fixture with plenty of confidence after they outplayed the visiting Cornwall Hill College 41-9.
The first half of the game progressed slowly, and the visitors led at half-time by three points, thanks to their flyhalf Matthew Fox, who successfully slotted three penalty kicks.
The second half was a different story altogether, with the home team finding their rhythm and amassing 35 more points as they effectively turned opportunities into tries.
With strength and determination, the host’s no. 8 Jack Brady bulldozed through tackles on his way to scoring two tries, and their tenacious scrumhalf Diego Ferreira was, again, in fine form with the boot, converting all of his kicks.
Point Scorers
St Stithians College 26 (26) – Tries: Cullen Bradford (2), Chris Anderson, Nthabeleng Mafole, Conversions: Chris Anderson (4). St Alban’s College 16 (6) – Tries: Thabiso Mbembele, Everett Gosling. Penalties: Joshua Verster (2).
St John’s College 54 (14) – Tries: Oliver Tait (2), Joshua Shannon, Menzi Bongwe, Tom Kruger (2), Thomas Ivers, Malan du Plessis. Conversions: Bryson Walker (7). St Benedict’s College 0 (0)
St David’s Marist Inanda 41 (6) – Tries: Teegen Rossini, Jack Brady (2), Kuzivakwashe Majuru, James Askew. Conversions: Ferreira (5). Penalties: Ferreira (2). Cornwall Hill College 9 (9) – Penalties: Matthew Fox (3).
