10 June 2023
Saint Charles, playing at home, pushed Glenwood very hard in the 1st XV and 2nd XV rugby matches, making the Durban school dig deep to claim victory. Saints also showed up well against Glenwood in the under-15 A clash.
Meanwhile, on the Saints Turf, the hosts’ hockey teams dominated the open age group matches, but Glenwood fared far better in the younger age groups. Saint Charles did own a clean slate at under-16 level, however, but it was played three, won one, drew one, lost one for both schools in the under-14 age group.
Rugby
1st XV report
Down six players after a brutally tough game against Hilton College last time out, Glenwood were pushed all the way by Saint Charles on Old Orchards on Saturday, eventually claiming a 37-31 win over a spirited home side.
It was Saints who were on the board first, but the Green Machine then found their stride and opened up a 24-7 lead. But, just before the break, Saint Charles benefitted from some poor Glenwood discipline to go over after a pick ‘n drive, which made the halftime score look a whole lot better for the blue and gold at 14-24.
Missed opportunities
After the break, his team missed out on a number of try-scoring opportunities, Glenwood coach Derek Heiberg told Pinnacle Schools.
“We butchered three clean opportunities, which would have taken the game away from them completely. We nailed only one to make it 29-14.”
That score, though, was followed by an immediate riposte from Saint Charles, who made Glenwood pay when they made a mess of receiving the kick off. “The worst part of our game was the restarts. Every time we scored, we surrendered the ball immediately and they capitalised,” coach Heiberg said.
In addition, Glenwood came away on the wrong side of the penalty count, and that undermined their effort on the day, too.
It was 29-21, and soon there were just three points in it when Saints made the Green Machine pay for another defensive lapse with a well-worked try, which made it 29-26 in favour of the visitors. “It was game on,” Heiberg reckoned.
One point in it
Glenwood stretched their advantage with a penalty, but Saint Charles had a chance to take the lead after scoring a try in the corner, but they missed with the conversion attempt, which would have put them in front. It was 32-31 to the Green Machine.
Fortunately for the Durban boys, they won the restart, followed by a penalty, which they kicked to the corner and turned into a try to make the final score 37-31.
“Overall, it was a great game of rugby. I thought they did very well,” coach Heiberg said. “Injuries didn’t help us, but I was very happy with the resilience the guys showed. There were a lot of guys who received their first 1st team caps.”
He praised the composure of his charges to find a way to close out the game with a try at the end. However, Heiberg said, Saint Charles had really taken the game to Glenwood, and it had been a long day at the office up front.
Set piece battle
“We were under the pump at scrum time. Our scrum has been poor all season, and they definitely targeted it,” he said candidly.
The lineouts, on the other hand, went Glenwood’s way. “They were good,” Heiberg said. “We disrupted them. They really struggled, and they went to a two-man lineout, which I saw for the first time.”
Results
1st: Saint Charles 31-37 Glenwood
2nd: Saint Charles 22-26 Glenwood
3rd: Saint Charles 32-0 Glenwood 5th
4th: Saint Charles 17-7 Glenwood 6th
16A: Saint Charles 5-43 Glenwood
16B: Saint Charles 21-10 Glenwood u16D
15A: Saint Charles 10-24 Glenwood
15B: Saint Charles 21-10 Glenwood u15D
14A: Saint Charles 0-50 Glenwood
Hockey
It has been a tough hockey season for Glenwood’s open age group teams; in KZN, there is no let up. Every match is a stern challenge, and if you’re not quite there you’re in for a hard day. That, pretty much, has been the story of the season for Glenwood.
Saints showed no mercy and knocked in 20 goals in three open age group matches. If anything, the Pietermaritzburg school’s hockey is somewhat under-rated.
Glenwood’s under-16 A side has played competitive hockey throughout the season, and they gave a good Saints’ side a good game. The under-14 age group, meanwhile, was very evenly matched. While Glenwood’s senior results haven’t been great, there is hope for the future, based on some of the talent in the younger age groups.
Results
1st: Saint Charles 7-0 Glenwood
2nd: Saint Charles 7-0 Glenwood
3rd: Saint Charles 6-0 Glenwood
16A: Saint Charles 3-1 Glenwood
16B: Saint Charles 8-1 Glenwood
14A: Saint Charles 0-0 Glenwood
14B: Saint Charles 0-1 Glenwood
14C: Saint Charles 2-1 Glenwood
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