SuperSport Schools Plus

Westville and KES brilliant on Bowden’s

By Brad Morgan , in Rugby | Featured Rugby | News , at 2024-05-19 Tags: ,

In a breathtakingly outstanding advertisement for schoolboy rugby, Westville Boys’ High and King Edward VII (KES) played to a stunning 36-36 draw on Bowden’s Field on Saturday. The entertainment was rich and enthralling from the first whistle to the last.

While the game was played in KZN, the red of KES was prominent around the field. The Red Army‘s coach Marco Engelbrecht commented after the game: “We are incredibly blessed. I have yet to come across a team of supporters like our parents, who have come down in their numbers. It’s a KZN derby at Westville, and there’s the whole stand, a sea of red. Wherever we go, we are so grateful for them, win or lose. That’s special.” The product on the field was special, too.

In the lead-up to the game, Westville coach Njabulo “Jabz” Zulu had said it was important that his charges get off to a good start against a side that had built up huge momentum with a string of terrific performances. They got it.

KES flyhalf, Simphiwe Moyo, a star performer for the visitors, had an early cross field kick charged down and Westville lock Oliver Gcina brought the home supporters to their feet as he raced through to score under the uprights. Westville no. 10 Jade-Will Koopman added the extras.

But the punch and counterpunch nature of the match revealed itself when KES responded swiftly through their flying left wing, Haniel Monkoti, who used every centimetre of his body to stretch out and dot down on the line in the left-hand corner to score the first try for the Johannesburg side.

KES wing Hankiel Monkoti, with Evan Moolman hanging onto him, extends to ground the ball for the first of six KES tries.
KES wing Haniel Monkoti, with Evan Moolman hanging onto him, extends to ground the ball for the first of six KES tries.

In a swirling wind, KES, mainly through Moyo, worked to turn Westville and force them to play from deep by kicking to the corners.

The Griffin, though, as they have done to so many teams this season, turned the screws in the tight scrums. It won them an early tighthead, and later in the first half it won them a penalty five metres from the KES try line. Westville hit it up but were turned over at the ruck and conceded a penalty.

Moyo, taking charge, tapped only five metres from his try line and sent the ball out wide to the left. Monkoti flew up the left flank, but the hosts’ fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya cut him down with a splendid tackle on the Westville 22. Still, it showed the willingness of KES to play the situation as they saw it in front of them.

Right before halftime, Siyaya gathered a bouncing ball inside the Westville 22, escaped heavy pressure from KES lock Michael Bownes and counterattacked. A neat chip and gather put him in the clear. He drew Moyo, the last cover defender, and passed inside to Lwandile Simelane, who matched his second-row partner, Oliver Gcina, by diving over under the posts.

KES, though, claimed a small victory when centre Olunje Meholmakulu pulled off a Cheslin Kolbe move and charged down the conversion attempt. That would prove to be a pivotal moment in the match,

Just before the break, KES responded with a try from a maul, scored by Esethu Mnebelele, the first of three for the Red Army’s captain.

“We struggled a bit with the maul,” Westville coach Jabz Zulu admitted. “We found a solution for that at the end, with the sack. Unfortunately, it took us too long to come up with that solution. But I was proud of the pack. They defended well today.”

Moyo’s conversion attempt from the right, in tricky conditions, was on target and the teams changed ends level at 12-12. It had been a thrilling first half, but the second half delivered even greater thrills.

It looked as if Westville might have undone all of their good work when they conceded two soft tries in quick succession early in the second stanza, but they came roaring back, showing excellent character, to level the scores once more at 24-24 when their bruising centre, Blake Allbon, swallow-dived over the try line.

Centre Blake Allbon dived over for two tries for Westville.
Centre Blake Allbon dived over for two tries for Westville.

“You’ll get great character from an Njabulo Zulu team,” reckoned KES coach Engelbrecht. “His players will die for him, I can tell you that for free, and they certainly came out today and showed that. That’s awesome to see, and it’s good to test yourself against that.”

KES turned to their driving maul and hooker Esethu Mnebelele once again to add another five points, and a Moyo conversion put them 31-24 clear, which was incidentally the final score when Jeppe beat Westville in Johannesburg. But that wasn’t the end of the scoring on Saturday.

A loose pass, when KES tried to go wide after Moyo had fielded a Siyaya up-and-under, found Allbon out on the left and he raced over for his second in the left-hand corner. Koopman, with admirable composure, nailed the difficult conversion, drawing a huge roar from the home supporters.

It was exhilarating, end-to-end and heart-in-the mouth stuff.

Throughout the contest, Moyo had tested Westville with chips over the top, well placed kicks that turned into 50/50 balls, and one of those soon paid off in a big way.

He just missed out on putting Monkoti over with a cross kick, but the bounce of the ball didn’t favour the winger. No problem. A few minutes later, Moyo drifted to the blindside, behind a KES ruck, and dinked a ball over the top. This time the bounce favoured the Red Army and the flyhalf’s halfback partner Regan McGurk raced onto the ball, caught it, and dived over in the right-hand corner.

The conversion kick was missed, but KES led 36-31. Just over three minutes remained in the game.

With Simphiwe Moyo lining up a conversion kick, KES supporters tried to help him guide it over between the posts.
With Simphiwe Moyo lining up a conversion kick, KES supporters tried to help him guide it over between the posts.

With time almost expired, the Red Army forced Westville back into their 22 with a series of hard-hitting tackles. Still, the Griffin held onto the ball. However, when flyhalf Jade-Will Koopman received it, in the right corner and five metres from his try line, he found two players bearing down on him.

Stepping inside, he avoided them and just escaped a tackle attempt from the workaholic KES no.6 James Kobrowisky. Pinning his ears back, he accelerated towards the opposite sideline and rounded the visitors’ defensive line on the Westville 10m line. Then, using his support runners to draw the attention of covering defenders, he raced through a gap and cut inside before heading towards the sideline once more.

Monkoti hared across from the opposite wing, desperate to kill the danger. He grabbed the Westville flyhalf only metres from the line, but Koopman popped the ball back over his head and Jadrian Afrikaner was up in support to dive over for a sensational score-equalling try. Astonishing!

Koopman’s conversion kick, to edge his team ahead, struck the left upright to oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Still, the referee hadn’t yet blown the final whistle and the Westville no. 10 had a chance to win it for his team when they were awarded a penalty.

He had a shot at goal, 15 metres in from the right touchline, about 38 metres out. It was a tough kick, given the swirling wind, and it passed narrowly to the right of the posts.

Let off, Jeppe surged back down the field and into the Westville 22. Moyo almost played himself in for a try with a chip and chase, but the home side’s scrumhalf Ryan Pistor beat him to the ball, fielding it on the run, before clearing over the touchline. With that, the final whistle blew. Both coaches looked a little shattered and relieved.

Westville’s flyhalf Jade-Will Koopman, who had brought so much to the game, was distraught. He felt he had let his side down but rugby staff from both sides, in heart-touching moments, took time to comfort him and reassure him he had brought honour upon himself, his side and the game.

“That last try, that’s what he’s capable of doing,” Jabz Zulu commented. “He feels like he’s let the team down, but we wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for him.”

And that reflected the best side of schoolboy rugby. Kudos to the players and coaches of both teams.

“Credit to them. I thought we got lucky. I thought they probably deserved to win on their home ground,” KES coach Marco Engelbrecht magnanimously said.

“I thought we handled them nicely, and I’m proud of our boys, as well.”

Game of the year? Maybe…

Scores

Westville Boys’ High 36 (12) – Tries: Blake Allbon (2), Oliver Gcina, Jadrian Afrikaner, Wandile Simelane, Zekhethelo Siyaya. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (3). King Edward VII 36 (12) – Tries: Esethu Mnebelele (3), Regan McGurk (2), Haniel Monkoti. Conversions: Simphiwe Moyo (3).

u19 – Westville II 5 KES II 26; Westville III 14 KES III 21; Westville IV 17 KES IV 31; Westville V 10 KES V 40; Westville VI 15 KES VI 45

u16 Westville A 28 KES A 33; Westville B 21 KES B 17; Westville C 0 KES C 19; Westville D 12 KES D 0

u15 – Westville A 24 KES A 5; Westville B 3 KES B 15; Westville C 5 KES C 12; Westville D 12 KES D 45; Westville E 5 KES E 45

u14 – Westville A 14 KES A 22; Westville B 7 KES B 7; Westville C 22 KES C 10; Westville D 12 KES D 12; Westville E 12 KES E 55

Brad Morgan
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.