Durban High School (DHS) blanked Nico Malan in a hard-fought arm wrestle, Glenwood scored the only try in a tight victory over Marlow Landbou, Kearsney lost by a single point to Framesby, and Westville went down to a very good Rondebosch Boys’ High team by 21 points, which didn’t do justice to the efforts of the Griffin.
That was day one of the 2024 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
Worcester Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
Thursday’s action began with a thrilling clash between Worcester Gimnasium, who made their bow at the 2023 event, up against festival newcomers Hoërskool Rustenburg. There was next to nothing between the teams throughout the contest.
At half-time, Rustenburg led 20-19, but the points dried up in the second half, before a late flurry. The team from the North-West appeared to have sealed victory when they went over for a try with two-and-a-half minutes remaining on the clock.
Worecester had won many fans at last year’s event with their spirit and running rugby and those two were to the fore again as they kept hammering away at Rustenburg. Eventually, with time almost up, they opened up an overlap on the left and Tyron Abrahams went over for a try, which brought them to within one point of their opposition.
Cool as a cucumber, Aiden Abrahams, from wide on the left, slotted the conversion attempt. The final whistle sounded. He leapt in the air before being mobbed by his team-mates. Worcester had won 26-25.
Worcester Gimnasium 26 (19) – Tries: Tyron Abrahams, Conzay Roelf, Wilfred Slingers, Waylan Pienaar. Conversions: Aiden Abrahams (3). Hoërskool Rustenburg 25 (20) – Tries: Zulu Khumalo, Henco Raath, Lorenzo Snyers. Conversion: Jaden Meyer (2). Penalties: Meyer (2).
Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
Dr EG Jansen had far too much firepower for Noord-Kaap in the day’s second match. Jansies came into the event with five matches under their belts, all of which they had won. They showed why they had won them, and they also showed the value of playing those extra games.
Playing with pace and precision, they overwhelmed the team from Kimberley in the first half, rushing into a 38-0 half-time lead.
The second half turned into a better contest, and Noord-Kaap scored a cracking try through Tyron China, but EG Jansen added three more five-pointers as they claimed a one-sided 59-7 victory.
EG Jansen 59 (38) – Tries: Ettienne Smit (2), Duwan Potgieter, Keanu van Loggerenberg, Gerhard van Aswegen, Jayden du Preez, Steven Williams, Craig Lightfoot, Zandré Naude. Conversions: Delport (3), Matthew Bergman (2). Noord-Kaap 7 (0) – Try: Tyron China. Conversions: Themba Koopman.
Glenwood High School vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow
Glenwood looked a little different for their clash with Marlow. They had played in red against Wesvalia at the Glenwood Rugby Festival, while waiting for their traditional green strip to be made, and then the Farmers, who played in green, didn’t have their alternative white strip available for Thursday’s game, so it was red, once more, for the Green Machine.
The only try of the game went to Kungawo Ncamazana, in the second half, with Glenwood winning 14-3 after leading just 3-0 at the break.
They controlled large parts of contest and were good up until the red zone, with the try line in front of them, when, all too often, they came up short.
“That’s been our problem thus far this season,” coach Derek Heiberg admitted afterwards. “We do some very good things, and at the key moment, when we have to pull the trigger, we get the pass wrong, or that decision is wrong. But it’s a young team – 17 out of the 23 are in grade 11 – so we’re building. As a coach, I can’t fault the commitment.”
Heiberg said he felt Glenwood’s game management was good and the gameplan was executed well, but they undermined their efforts by conceding too many penalties.
On Saturday, the Green Machine (and they will be playing in green) faces Dr EG Jansen. “We’ve got a massive challenge on Saturday, so we’ll recover now and look forward to that.” Heiberg said.
Glenwood 14 (3) – Try: Kungawo Ncamazana. Penalties: Leo Weber (3). Marlow Landbou 6 (0) – Penalties: Gideon Jordaan (2).
Durban High School vs Nico Malan High School
The DHS 1st XV of 2024 has, thus far, been less free flowing than the 2023 side, but they’ve been superb on defence, and for the second time in three games they kept their opposition off the scoreboard, when they beat Nico Malan 21-0.
“We have pride in our defence and our physicality. Obviously, we are delighted that we have managed to keep sides down to minimum scores and it’s a credit to the boys. They have worked very hard, and I want them to enjoy that role they have in defence and have that pride,” DHS Director of Rugby, Peter Engeldow, said after the game.
It was a tough battle and DHS came into the contest on the back of a 7-12 defeat to Rondebosch Boys’ High, wanting to establish their identity, Engeldow explained: “We lost to Rondebosch on the weekend. We’ve been on camp, and we’ve discussed how we want to play, and the DNA of DHS [rugby], because we weren’t really doing that, and I was just delighted that we’re back to what we’re trying to do and what we want to play.
“I think we kept our shape reasonably well when we did get the ball. We just needed a bit more ball and a bit more momentum. But we’re delighted to get the victory. It was a tough team, a very physical battle.”
One of the challenges was going up against coach Jaco Nepgen. When Engledow was head coach at Griquas, Nepgen, then a player, was his lineout leader. They have a good relationship, and both had a good laugh when they recognised plays that they, too, use.
Engledow said one of the great joys he has derived from coaching is to see those he has worked with go on to take up coaching themselves, in South Africa and England. “It’s nice. That is what rugby is about,” he smiled.
As for a standout player, he tapped prop Unaye Mndau, who is not the biggest, but a real problem for the opposition at scrum time. “Unaye is, I think, the most underrated loosehead in KZN. If you watch him scrum, he has taken out every tighthead he has gone against,” the coach reckoned.
Durban High School 21 (0) – Tries: Mahle Sithole, Aka Boqwana, Adriano Jackson. Conversions: Boqwana (3). Nico Malan 0.
Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Framesby
Kearsney was first onto the scoreboard in their game against Framesby, which was played after light rain and mist had moved over Stott Field. Valentino Lenge went over for a try down the right flank, converted by Daniel Eager, but Framesby manufactured a quick response from Cole Hilpert.
A penalty from Logan Muller then gave Framesby a narrow 8-7 lead at the break.
The Eastern Cape side extended its advantage in the second stanza when 8th-man Johan van Zyl went over for five points, but Lenge replied for Kearsney, with his second try pulling them to within a point at 14-15.
An Eager penalty gave the One-Stripe a two-point lead, but Muller responded for Framesby and then expertly dictated where the game would be played in the three minutes that remained, turning the home side with some well-placed tactical kicks, while the forwards resorted to pick-and-goes to keep possession away from Kearsney.
Framesby 18 (8) – Tries: Cole Hilpert, Johan van Zyl. Conversion: Logan Muller. Penalties: Muller (2). Kearsney College 17 (7) – Tries: Valentino Lenge (2). Conversions: Daniel Eagar (2). Penalty: Eagar.
Westville Boys’ High vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
The weather conditions were likely more familiar to Rondebosch than Westville in the last game of the first day of the 2024 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. Light rain made it slippery, but the assured handling of the visitors from Cape Town made light work of those challenges.
From the start, ‘Bosch took charge, but Westville, with typical Griffin grittiness, kept hammering away. They fell behind 3-17 but came back into the contest in the latter stages of the first half and were rewarded with a fine try by Unathi Mlotshwa.
At 10-17, there was everything to play for, but Rondebosch tightened up again, kept their structure and added two further tries to run out 31-10 winners. It was an encouraging outing for the Western Cape side, which featured a number of players making their 1st XV debuts.
Chris Cloete shone for Westville in the rucks, while fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya confirmed his status as a dangerous weapon at the back, but ‘Bosch were superbly directed by their flyhalf David Simon. His reading and control of the game was outstanding. He kicked effectively when it was required, and he set his backline going when opportunities presented themselves.
Despite the less-than-ideal conditions for ball handling, it was a good spectacle. If only, though, it had been a dry weather game. Both sides, no doubt, have dangerous backs and it would have been exciting to see them in full flow.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 31 (17) – Tries: Ewan Lawrie, Randall Davids, Travis van den Berg, Caleb Belelie. Conversions: David Simon (4). Penalty: David Simon. Westville Boys’ High 10 (10) – Try: Unathi Mlotshwa. Conversion: Unathi Mlotshwa. Penalty: Unathi Mlotshwa.
Leave a Reply