23 April 2023
An astute observation about the manner in which Pretoria Boys’ High defended, made at the Saint John’s Easter Festival, where Maritzburg College were also in action, helped College to an impressive 47-15 win over PBHS in Pretoria on Saturday.
Sharing the secret, College coach Tim Orchard told Pinnacle Schools after his team’s 32-point win: “They get a bit narrow on defence and give you a bit of space, so if you move the ball quickly you can get some joy.”
The red, black and white made excellent use of that information and led by a brilliant outing from fullback Luyanda Kunene, they struck for four counter-attacking tries to run out decisive winners.
“Kunene was exceptional”
The backline, who were also given good ball by the forwards, topped the list of coach Orchard’s top performers on the day: “Kunene was exceptional. Makhatini, Reardon again, Luc du Toit again,” he said, identifying the quick men at the back.
“Very good individual play, and the team performance was also good, in terms of our counter-attacks,” reckoned College’s injured skipper Sasha Kadira.
Commenting on an exceptional performance from Kunene, who is in grade 11, he added: “He’s really hitting his stride now, and I think he is only going to get better.”
It was, Orchard said, “a very good win”.
Scrum dominance
From the first scrum on the lush grass of Brook Field, where plenty of College rugby jerseys were displayed by Old Boys of the school, the Maritzburg College pack dominated the set piece, sending Boys’ High back-pedalling at a rapid rate of knots. It has been one of the hallmarks of their season thus far.
Quickly, too, PBHS learned that to kick onto Luyanda Kunene was an unwise decision. A penetrating counter from the College fullback led to a penalty and flyhalf Luc du Toit put the visitors close to the try-line with a throw-in to come. It didn’t go to hand and the home side escaped. That was one area of the game that didn’t function as well as it should have, College coach Orchard said.
“Our set piece wasn’t so great. There were a couple of issues there,” he admitted.
“Room for improvement”
“I think, in terms of our lineouts, we have a lot of room for improvement,” said College captain, Sasha Kadira, who missed his second game in succession after injuring an ankle in his team’s 26-20 win over Jeppe at the Saint John’s Easter Festival.
Maritzburg exerted early pressure, but Pretoria scored the first try of the game after a period of sustained attack opened up an overlap for them on the left, and they led 8-0 after a quarter-of-an-hour.
College quickly responded through their big lock, Kuhle Mthimkulu, who was standing in as the captain on the day. He powered through a tackle near the posts to score the visitors’ first points.
Another counter led by Kunene won College a penalty inside the Pretoria 22 after the hosts strayed offside trying to slow the recycled ball down. This time, after Du Toit set up a lineout, College’s execution was accurate and three phases later Colm Reardon went over wide on the left.
Narrow half-time lead
From way out on the touchline, Du Toit couldn’t convert, but College now enjoyed a four-point lead at 12-8, which was the half-time score. In the second half, the game opened up a lot more.
Within the first minute after the restart, Luyanda Kunene again tore holes in the PBHS defence, taking an outside gap, then cutting inside after a stutter-step, to take his team into the Boys’ High 22. Under pressure, the home team soon conceded another penalty after straying offsides.
Then, from a five-man lineout, Elbie Mouton was the beneficiary of a big drive at the line, barrelling over a defender to add another five-pointer to the College tally. Du Toit made it 19-8.
Counter-attacking brilliance
Once more, it was a brilliant counter-attack that brought College their next points. Colm Reardon set things in motion from deep in the Maritzburg half by beating his man on the outside on the left touchline. Kunene, flying up on his inside, received the pass at speed. When he met the last defender near the PBHS 22, he found Luc du Toit on his inside and the College pivot sprinted clear to dive over beneath the posts. He tacked on two points with the boot to put College 26-8 in the clear.
Coach Tim Orchard’s charges kept up the pressure and, almost inevitably, for anyone who has seen College and Phiwayinkosi Kubheka in action this season, the burly loosehead prop got his name on the try-scoring sheet, bouncing a tackler off of his big frame before crashing over next to the posts. Another Du Toit conversion put the red, black and white 25 points ahead at 33-8.
PBHS reply
PBHS were in trouble, but they were next on the scoreboard just before the hour mark. It began with an excellent steal by their impressive flank and captain Shaun Schuurman. He picked up support off of his left shoulder after a powerful run and Boys’ High were in for five. Kyle Hezlett converted, and the score looked a whole lot better for the home team at 33-15 in favour of College.
Kunene, though, was at the heart of another telling Maritzburg counter. He again sliced through the PBHS defence, returning a kick over the top. Then, a pass inside to his left and one more, again, found Reardon, who continued his fine try-scoring form. A simple conversion from Du Toit and College had reached 40 points.
With time expired on the clock, College had one more try left in them. From a lineout just inside the Pretoria half, scrumhalf Rhett Quin made a big bust up to the 22, when the PBHS defenders fell for a smart dummy. A vicious sidestep off of his left foot opened up a path towards the goal-line, and Quin, with an abrupt change of direction, ran away from the chasing defenders for a spectacular final try. His team-mates mobbed the scrumhalf, congratulating him on a fantastic solo effort.
Du Toit rubbed salt in the Pretoria wounds by converting to make the final score Maritzburg College 47-15 Pretoria Boys’ High.
Apart from the first 15 minutes, when matters were evenly contested, College had dominated the contest, playing a brand of exciting running rugby to overpower a team that had performed well this season. On the day, though, they had few answers to Maritzburg’s cohesive effort.
St. John’s Festival showing stirs excitement for College rugby
Man of the Match
Luyanda Kunene, unsurprisingly, was named man of the match by the SuperSport Schools commentators.
You are able to watch the match on SuperSport Schools, if you missed it.
Interviewed afterwards, he described the match as challenging. He also credited his team-mates for creating the gaps which led to him being at the heart of so many of College’s best movements.
“It feels good. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” he said.
Captain Kuhle Mthimkulu commented: “Every time we come here, Boys High’ gives us a hard challenge… We knew with our hard work during the week, we would be prepared, and that would produce the results.”
The last word goes to College’s injured captain, Sasha Kadira, who talked about his team’s impressive evolution during the course of the season. “For me, it was always about confidence, even after the two losses [against Michaelhouse and DHS], because there were things we could improve upon, and we knew that at some point, when we got things right, we would start playing much better rugby.
“It’s all credit to the coaches and the boys, because the work we’ve put in is showing on the field.”
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