30 April 2023
An “I can’t believe what I saw” finish denied Westville a win over the hosts in the main game on Saturday at the Grey High Rugby Festival. With time up on the clock, Grey, down by 10-15, were awarded a penalty try, which meant a challenging conversion was taken out of the equation, thus giving the home team a 17-15 victory.
“What an incredible game,” Westville coach Njabulo “Jabz” Zulu said to Pinnacle Schools following the clash on Siya Kolisi Field.
The ending had brought with it a roller-coaster of emotions, he explained. With less than two minutes remaining, in the midfield, inside the Grey half, he thought a Grey player had gone off his feet at a ruck. “Fantastic, Speedy [fullback Tshegofatso Ramaloko] will take the three. We’ll take our time and game over. The next thing we know we’re deep in our half. Eish!”
Drive for the line
The referee had penalised Westville for not releasing the ball and Grey kicked for touch. Inside the Westville 22, they mauled it up towards the Griffin try-line. The scrumhalf then took it down the blind. Westville stopped the snipe, but the referee produced a yellow card for Jeshua Ferreira, who was in the maul. It wasn’t clear what his reasoning was.
Again, Grey kicked for touch and set up another lineout. After a clean take, they drove hard towards the line. Westville defended for all they were worth, with the backs joining the forwards in trying to stop the Grey surge. Then, the maul broke up, and it appeared that Westville had help up the hosts over the try-line… But the referee blew for a penalty try.
Spent, disappointed, Westville bodies lay scattered about the turf as Grey’s supporters sprinted onto the field to celebrate a shocking victory with their team. Both sets of players then gathered themselves and embraced – a fine display of sportsmanship.
“Devastated”
“They were devastated,” said Jabz Zulu. “Their (Grey’s) reaction… For a school to go onto the field like that, it felt like they were acknowledging that they got out of jail there.”
It was a tough loss for the Griffin, who scored two sensational tries. The first, in the 16th minute, was a brilliant solo effort by centre Likhona Finca.
It began with a big bust up the field by Westville’s impressive captain Tebogo M’Khomazi, who had himself an outstanding outing. On Grey’s 10m line, the ball was swiftly recycled and sent left down the backline. When Finca received it, he was on the halfway line. Running onto the ball at pace, he rounded his opposite number on the outside.
Then, he cut back inside, leaving Grey defenders trailing in his wake. Another outside jink and he sped towards the left-hand corner, diving over for a sensational try to level the scores at 5-5.
“He has everything you want in a centre,” Zulu said. “He is devastating.”
(Forgive the commentator for the incorrect identification of the player, it is Likhona Finca.)
Breath-taking
Then, with eight minutes remaining, Westville scored one of the best tries one could ever hope to see, anywhere, at any level. It was breath-taking.
With Grey on the attack, Westville ripped the ball away and took over possession inside their 22. Big Rhys Mitchell, under pressure, picked out Tshegofatso Ramaloko with a pass. Immediately, he headed left at speed, leaving the closest ball chasers flailing.
On the 22, with three tacklers closing in on him, the fullback floated a pass out to Likhona Finca. As Finca was tackled, he released the ball to Siya Ndlozi, who then beat a diving cover defender on the outside. Into the Grey half, he cut sharply back inside. A body swerve left another potential tackler sprawled on the 10m line. Two more would-be tacklers were shrugged off before Ndlozi found Tebogo M’Khomazi steaming up on his right, midway between the 10m line and the 22.
M’Khomazi, hitting an inside gap, bulled his way towards the Grey try-line, eventually being tackled just five metres out. Still, he got a pass off.
Grey finally halted the flowing Westville move and a ruck formed. But the Griffin quickly attacked once more. Scrumhalf Ryan Pistor picked up and cleverly ran infield, drawing a big hit, but his run had created space on his inside and Jeshua Ferreira took the around-the-back pass at 100 miles an hour.
Two Grey defenders met the flying prop on the try-line, but he had way too much momentum to stop him dead, and he crashed over for a remarkable five-pointer. Brilliant!
Ramaloko’s successful conversion made it Westville 15-10 Grey. Unfortunately for the Griffin, they couldn’t quite hold on.
“I was very proud of that try”
“That was nice,” said coach Zulu. “We have really dangerous players in Likhona and Siya, and it was so nice to see Siya go in open space and show the things that he can do. I was very proud of that try.”
Summing up his thoughts on the game, he said: “I said to the boys that I don’t feel like we lost the game. I think it was a good game of rugby. In certain moments, it was harsh on us. But I feel we have good momentum going into our game against Jeppe. We’ve got to keep that momentum.”
Westville host Jeppe on Bowden’s on 6 May. It should be a cracker!
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