27 March 2023
Michaelhouse flew the South African flag with pride at the Rugby School International Sevens in Warwickshire on the weekend. The competition also featured teams from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Chile, and Australia. At the event’s conclusion, though, it was Michaelhouse who were crowned champions.
The boys from Balgowan were drawn in a group that proved to be the toughest of the tournament. It included Irish power Blackrock College, Llandovery College from Wales, England’s Uppingham School and Waseda Jitsugyo High School of Japan.
From the start, it was clear that Blackrock and Llandovery would be the teams to beat, with Blackrock thumping Uppingham 41-0 in their opener. Llandovery pushed ‘House hard, but the boys in the red and white strip hung tough and came away with a 19-14 win in their first outing.
It was a much easier time for Michaelhouse second time out as they thumped Waseda Jitsugyo 55-12. Meanwhile, Blackrock saw off Llandovery 14-7.
Uppingham didn’t have an answer for ‘House in the school’s third match, with Michaelhouse running away to a 38-0 victory. Meanwhile, Blackrock cruised to a 46-0 win over Waseda Jitsugyo, which set up a clash with Michaelhouse for the top spot in the pool.
In a tense clash, it was the Irish boys who claimed the victory, downing Michaelhouse 24-12.
Group winners
Meanwhile, Chile’s The Grange School, from Santiago, sprung a surprise by finishing first in Group A, ahead of Rugby School, after scoring one win and three draws.
In Group B, Merchiston Castle of Scotland and Clifton College of England both finished with 13 points and, even though Clifton defeated Merchiston Castle 21-19, the Scottish side topped the table on points’ difference.
The honours in Group C went to New Zealand’s Nelson College, with a spotless four wins from four matches, while England’s Mount Saint Mary’s College held off their compatriots, Marlborough College, for second place.
Check out the action from the live feed on YouTube.
Playoff groups
In the playoffs, Michaelhouse would next face Merchiston Castle and Marlborough College. They had to work hard, but, in the end, ‘House scored convincing victories over both, defeating Marlborough College 22-10 and Merchiston Castle 29-15.
Among the other top teams, Llandovery College, whom Michaelhouse had met in Group D, showed just how strong that group had been by topping The Grange School and Clifton College to move on.
Nelson College also advanced, but they suffered their first defeat, going down to Rugby School. However, a 15-5 win over Whitchurch High gave the Kiwis just enough breathing space to finish top of the table on points’ difference.
Ominously, though, Blackrock College, who had won Group D ahead of Michaelhouse, destroyed their playoff competition, drubbing Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools 36-0 and comfortably handling Mount Saint Mary’s College 24-7.
Sharp
In the quarterfinals, Michaelhouse were in sharp form, roaring to a 52-10 victory over Whitchurch High. Llandovery also reached the semi-finals, edging out Mount Saint Mary’s College 21-19, while Merchiston Castle beat Nelson College 24-14, and Blackrock College handed The Grange School a 17-7 loss.
Facing Llandovery for a second time in the semi-finals, ‘House were more dominant, recording a decisive 26-5 win. On the other side of the draw, Blackrock were convincing 33-14 victors against Merchiston Castle, thus setting up a rematch against Michaelhouse for the title.
Brilliant start
Michaelhouse began the final in brilliant fashion. After a clean take of the kick off, letting the ball do the work, they shifted it wide to the left. Once halted there, they brought it swiftly back to the right. Murray Baker created an overlap and Leo Muziva, put into the clear, ran away from the Blackrock defence to score under the uprights.
From the Michaelhouse kick off, Blackrock made a mini-break, but a hard covering tackle by Baker caused the ball to be spilled. In a flash, Michaelhouse turned defence into offence, making it up to the Blackrock 22 before they were stopped. The Irish side, under pressure, were, however, blown up for holding the ball on the ground.
Quickly, Michaelhouse sent the ball down the backline. A sharp inside step by Baker and he was away, crossing beneath the poles for a second Michaelhouse try. The easy conversion put ‘House into a 14-0 lead.
Trouble
Soon, though, Michaelhouse were in trouble when Baker was carded for a deliberate knock-on, leaving ‘House with six players to Blackrock’s seven. Disastrously, ‘House were reduced to five players shortly after that, again for a deliberate knock-on, with Blackrock deep in their 22. Not surprisingly, the Irish team made their two-man advantage count, with Gary Maloney going over for the five-pointer.
The conversion attempt was from just left of the uprights, but the kick was off target and the score remained 14-5. For the remaining two minutes of the first half, Michaelhouse would be at a two-man disadvantage.
As time in the first stanza expired, Blackrock engineered an overlap to cross for a second try, which was converted, leaving Michaelhouse with a narrow two-point lead at 14-12, but still with one fewer player to start the second half.
Second half
Blackrock then made their extra man count when they took the lead after the restart. Michaelhouse, though, had made them work hard for it, working their way back and forth across the field, which meant that once the conversion was knocked over the teams were even at seven players each once more. Michaelhouse 14-19 Blackrock College.
Almost immediately from the kick off, Michaelhouse hit back, with Dwayne Mlaba stretching his long limbs to round the Blackrock defence on the left and go over near the posts, which drew whoops and cheers from the vocal supporters of the red and white on the side of the field.
Vital conversion
Crucially, the conversion by Luke Davidson, from a similar position to the one Blackrock had missed from when they scored their first try, went over, putting Michaelhouse into a two-point lead at 21-19.
Blackrock desperately pushed and probed, seeking a gap in the Michaelhouse defence, but there was none. The Balgowan boarders, then, came very close to adding a fourth try as Josh Aissing turned on the afterburners down the left wing, but his pass inside, just five metres from the try-line, failed to go to hand.
Pinned deep in their territory, though, the team from Dublin could not exit and Michaelhouse rejoiced when the final whistle sounded a short time later.
Whole-hearted
It was close, very close, but, with a whole-hearted effort, Michaelhouse had beaten Blackrock 21-19 to capture the prestigious crown. The joy on the faces of the team from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands was a sight to behold. They embraced, smiles and pride filling their features. It had taken an immense effort to claim the silverware, but they were deserving winners.
They had played nine matches, won eight of them, and scored 274 points while conceding 109, giving Michaelhouse a positive points’ differential of 165. More importantly, the players had represented their school with the distinction its reputation deserves.
RESULTS
Michaelhouse 19-14 Llandovery College
Michaelhouse 55-12 Waseda Jisugyo High School
Michaelhouse 38-0 Uppingham School
Michaelhouse 12-24 Blackrock College
Michaelhouse 22-10 Marlborough College
Michaelhouse 29-15 Merchiston Castle School
Michaelhouse 52-10 Whitchurch High School
Michaelhouse 26-5 Llandovery College
Michaelhouse 21-19 Blackrock College
Leave a Reply