30 April 2023
Meadows was rocking for the clash between the Hilton and Michaelhouse 1st XVs, played in overcast but dry conditions, on Saturday in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Optimism was high among the Michaelhouse faithful that they could end Hilton’s recent run of success in the fixture, which stretched back to 2016.
Confident
They had reason to feel confident. ‘House had drawn their opening match 24-24 against a strong Helpmekaar team, but had then won the remainder of their matches, including a hard-fought 27-20 win over a very good Maritzburg College team, and a one-sided 36-10 victory over Glenwood a week before Saturday’s showdown.
Hilton, in their most recent outing, had comfortably beaten Saint Charles College 39-10.
Michaelhouse were chasing their 100th win in the long-running rivalry, first played in 1904, but they were left to wait for another opportunity as Hilton scored a 20-17 win at the home of their rivals to move their win total in the fixture up to 96, with the schools sharing 10 draws.
The truth be told, Hilton, who looked like comfortable winners for much of the game, were forced to hang on by the skin of their teeth at the end. It could have gone either way.
The nervousness that the teams felt about the game revealed itself from the start, with both opting to go to the boot early from just inside their halves, instead of trying to attack with the ball in hand.
Hilton, after turning over possession, forced a penalty in the early going, with flyhalf and captain Chris Horak opting for a crack at goal, from just inside the 10m line. His kick was straight and true, giving Hilton the lead with about three minutes played.
Well organised defence
Michaelhouse, led by flank Fortune Mpofu, enjoyed plenty of possession at the start of the contest, but Hilton were very well organised on defence, effectively shepherding the red and white hoops towards the touchline and closing down their attacking space.
When they became a little too eager to stop Michaelhouse’s progress, the referee caught Hilton overstepping the mark, and awarded a penalty to ‘House for the offsides. Luke Davidson, though, was wide to the left from the 10m line.
When Hilton caught Michaelhouse holding on at a ruck in the 10th minute, flyhalf Horak once again pointed at the uprights, even though the ball, this time, was on the halfway line, but close to the middle of the field. He struck it well, but it found the right-hand post, falling to the ground and then bouncing over the try-line, which allowed Murray Baker to dot down as Hilton’s chasers closed in on the ball.
From the 22 drop out, Horak dropped a well-judged kick close to the side-line, just inside the Michaelhouse 22. Michaelhouse fullback, Davidson, slipped as he went to field the ball. Luckily for the hosts, the ball had crossed the line, just, otherwise Hilton could have been in for a try, as their speed merchant Tayedza Jaravaza, a Zimbabwean international sprinter, regained possession. The linesman’s flag was up, however.
Hilton had played most of the first 12 minutes inside the Michaelhouse half. Then, from the Michaelhouse 10m line, Hilton put together a fast-moving maul that rapidly powered its way some 10 metres into the ‘House 22. Quickly recycled ball out to the right found fullback Ivan Jjuuko on the overlap and he went over in the corner. The manner in which he was mobbed by his team-mates revealed just how much the big rivalry meant to the two sides.
From the touchline, Horak found the mark, and Hilton were 10-0 to the good after 13 minutes.
(Video clip from SuperSport Schools)
Stung, Michaelhouse charged onto the attack. Luthando Buthelezi drove them into the Hilton half, and the big loosehead Aphiwe Shelembe exploited a small gap in the visitors’ defensive line. For the first time in the game, the home team was in the Hilton College 22.
Penalty choice, right or wrong?
Michaelhouse then showed their power in the set scrums, setting Hilton on their heels and winning a penalty. They had a chance to kick a relatively simple three-pointer. Instead, they opted to kick for the touchline.
Michael Thornton snagged the throw-in. But strong defence from Hilton not only halted the hosts’ progress, it also won them a turnover. Remember, too, that at the end of the game the difference between the two sides was three points.
Michaelhouse clearly enjoyed the upper hand in the set piece again, but Hilton managed to clear to touch. With Horak under pressure, it didn’t go far, but Hilton robbed Michaelhouse of possession and this time they exited their half. These outstanding defensive plays would take on more significance the later the contest progressed.
Michaelhouse, however, found themselves just outside the Hilton 22, when a kick from the visiting team’s scrumhalf, Luke Watt, bounced on the ‘House 22 and rolled its way across the dead-ball line.
The home side managed to put four phases together from the subsequent scrum, but a thumping tackle on Murray Baker forced a knock-on and stopped the Michaelhouse momentum.
Then, when Hilton failed to release a player quickly enough after making a tackle, Michaelhouse, in the 27th minute, chose to kick at goal. From much the same position, they had spurned an earlier opportunity. Luke Davidson had no problems with the kick and the home team was on the board.
Michaelhouse were dominant in the scrums, but Hilton were in charge of the mauls, eating up huge chunks of the field on a number of occasions with good accurate balls to the back of the lineout from hooker Murray Brink. And it was another strong maul that led to a second Hilton try just before the break. After six drives at the line from within a metre of the whitewash, it was the lock Hanu Pieterse who went over for a crucial five-pointer.
(Video clip from SuperSport Schools)
Horak, unsurprisingly, made the conversion kick and Hilton had established a 17-3 lead at half-time.
Within the first minute of the second stanza, Michaelhouse had won two penalties, the second of which Luke Davidson kicked midway into the Hilton 22. Horak and company put up some stout defence, but ‘House had started the half in their opponent’s half.
Close, but not quite
Three minutes in, Davidson took another pot at goal from Hilton’s 10m line after the boys in black and white had strayed offsides. The distance was there, but not the accuracy.
When Michaelhouse failed to field a high kick from Horak on the full, they, once again, found themselves playing the game on their side of the field. The Hilton skipper was having a huge impact on the contest with his tactical kicking.
Fourteen minutes into the second half, Horak elected to go for posts after Michaelhouse and SA Schools’ 8th man Wandile Mlaba was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground, under pressure from Hanu Pieterse. It was a long kick, about 10 metres in from the right-hand touchline and three metres from halfway. He didn’t quite have the leg, and the ball fell right of the posts anyway. Still, Michaelhouse were forced to clear for touch, and that meant Hilton were in ‘House territory.
With time ticking away, Fortune Mpofu and his men must have been concerned. Hilton’s defence had allowed little give. It was well organised and keeping the red and white at bay. Matters soon looked even more concerning for the home side when they gave away a penalty on their 10m line, in the middle of the field. Chris Horak made it 20-3 and Hilton were odds-on to secure another derby victory.
Michaelhouse, though, roared onto the attack from the kick off. Just shy of the Hilton try-line, they were robbed of possession, but two Michaelhouse tacklers were on hand to force flyhalf Horak to ground the ball and concede a five-metre scrum.
‘House went wide right from the scrum, then brought it back towards the middle of the field, using their forwards to creep ever closer to the Hilton try-line. Eventually, Aphiwe Shelembe, who was excellent with ball in hand all game, crossed for the hosts’ first try. The sound levels around Meadows ramped up.
(Video clip from SuperSport Schools)
Davidson’s kick, 13 metres in from the right touchline, was true and Michaelhouse were into double-figures, trailing 10-20. There were 16 minutes to play.
Horak, cool as a cucumber, then, came close to tacking three points onto the Hilton total, trying a drop kick from the ‘House 10m line, but his effort was ever so narrowly wide of the mark.
With less than five minutes to play, Michaelhouse were still 10 points in arrears. However, they had demonstrated their character and their ability to find an answer when under severe pressure in their earlier games. Against Helpmekaar, they twice erased 14-point deficits to draw, and against College, after trailing at half-time, they scored a try in the last minute to snatch a victory. What did they have in reserve against their great rivals?
A superb touch-finder from Davidson, after ‘House had won a penalty, set them up five metres from the Hilton try-line, inside the last 10 minutes. Thornton took the throw-in cleanly and the Balgowan boys slowly mauled towards the line, but then their momentum was halted. Suddenly, though, hooker Thabo Njapha burst off the left of the ruck that had formed. Dragging three defenders with him, he went over for the try his team so badly needed.
(Video clip from SuperSport Schools)
To a loud roar, Davidson added the extras and only a penalty or dropped goal separated the two sides.
Michaelhouse were immediately back on the attack from the kick off. On the side of the field, the ‘House boys were bopping on their stands, urging their team on to victory. The Hilton boys, though, were also dancing, too. They thought their side was about to take the honours.
A sharp backline move from Michaelhouse put Hilton under severe strain once more, with a grubber forcing fullback Jjuuko to ground the ball over his own try-line.
From the scrum, centre Tom Baguley stepped off of his left foot, then, bouncing off a tackle, burst towards the posts. He almost made it, but he was hauled down just a metre from the whitewash. Hilton failed to roll away from the ruck and the referee awarded Michaelhouse a penalty. It was five metres out, directly in front of the posts. A draw was a formality, if they took the kick.
Michaelhouse, though, wanted to end their rivalry drought and rejected the gimme penalty kick. Jordyn Kleynhans tapped the ball and drove it up. Michaelhouse, on their third attempt, went over the line. Had they scored? The referee consulted his linesman. All eyes were on them. Held up, the ref signalled.
Michaelhouse laid siege to the Hilton line again from the resulting five-metre scrum. The black and white held out stubbornly. Then, when ‘House tried a pass over the top out wide to the left, right wing Hilton’s Rukudzo Madinga intercepted it. It looked as if Hilton were home. But the referee ran back to the five-metre line and held his arm up for a penalty. Hilton had slowed the release of the ball from the ruck.
It was frenetic and chaotic. It was all or nothing for both teams.
When Wandile Mlaba charged onto a ball, he was met by three Hilton defenders who knocked the powerful number-eight backwards. Hilton hacked the ball forward. Michaelhouse winger Leo Muziva was first to it, but he looked up as he went to gather it and knocked on.
The referee blew the final whistle. What a finish! What desire from both teams! Hilton had done it, but credit to Michaelhouse for refusing to buckle. They had done everything but steal the victory at the end.
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