22 July 2024
(Article by Marlowe Bloem)
A battle of two, large traditional boys’ schools was on the cards when Maritzburg College faced Pretoria Boys High in Pretoria in the second leg of their annual derby on Saturday. College had scored a convincing 43-15 on Goldstone’s when they met on 13 April.
In their most recent outing, the Red, Black and White had produced an outstanding performance in a narrow two-point loss to a high-flying Affies outfit a week earlier. Pretoria Boys High were the underdogs ahead of Saturday’s game on Brooks Field. They had not won the last nine times the teams had met, extending back over a seven-year period.
The hosts kicked off, but it was College who drew first blood. They attacked out wide from a 22-metre lineout and played the ball through a couple phases. Eventually, scrumhalf Rayke Maartens played a pop pass as he was brought down in a tackle. Fullback Luyanda Kunene, collected and dotted down for a fifth-minute score. The conversion, unusually, was missed by flyhalf James Slevin.
Boys High struck back from an eighth-minute, 22-metre lineout. From a driving maul – one of their strengths all season long – they drove towards the visitors’ try line. Under pressure, College collapsed the maul, but the Candies turned to the pick and go. After a number of charges at the line, loosehead-prop Jeffery Singo was over for five points.
A missed conversion by flyhalf Kwanda Mabuza left the teams level-pegging at 5-5. Mabuza was, however, on target in the 19th minute from 25 metres put, punishing College for going offsides at a ruck.
Boys High scored again in the 32nd minute. After a scrum, inside-centre Tyler Mason, in a tackle, offloaded a pop pass, which put fullback Itu Baloyi into space. He covered 30 metres before feeding right-wing Ntsako Ndlovu and the SA Schools A flyer dotted down for five. Mabuza added the extras.
It was a dominant first half from the hosts, who led 15-5 at the break. They enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and territory, and they did well to turn some of their opportunities into points.
College, meanwhile, had struggled to get going. Handling errors killed their momentum and they gave away possession with unnecessary kicks.
From the second half kick-off, however, the Red, Black and White were invigorated. They were more physical at the breakdowns, which allowed them to regain possession on a number of occasions.
Quick phase play from the rucks enabled them to gain ground on almost every phase. Boys High were on the back foot and the pressure eventually told as Maartens fed hooker Siya Nyathi, who crashed through two defenders to score in the 48th minute. Slevin tacked two points onto the total, and it was game on.
The Candies were able to pull three points back when College were blown up for entering a ruck from the side, and Mabuza bisected the uprights from 25 metres out.
With time slipping away, Maritzburg College struck a hammer blow. When they turned over possession near the halfway line, they quickly moved the ball wide to the right, where Slevin made some ground with a clever show and go.
A nice long pass from scrumhalf Maartens allowed College to move the action away from the touchline as they drove hard up into the PBHS defence, which drew the home side’s pack in to defend. Seeing space in the 22, Maartens alertly kicked over the top. Two Boys High defenders and two College attackers pursued the ball.
When one of the PBHS defenders tripped, he took out his team-mate and one of the College boys, but fullback Luyanda Kunene stayed upright and raced after the ball. Deep inside the Boys High in-goal area, he dived onto it for his second five-pointer of the contest, which pulled Rambo Kubheka and his team to within a point. The conversion attempt was still to come.
College had the right man for the job. Slevin coolly converted from 14 metres in from the right-hand touchline and the visitors led 19-18.
Not satisfied, they launched wave after wave of attack in the final minutes. Boys High, with desperate but effective defence, twice held up College over the try line. However, a high tackle in the 69th minute brought an end to Jeffrey Singo’s game, but soon after that the final whistle went.
SCORERS
Pretoria Boys High School 18 (15) – Tries: Jeffrey Singo, Ntsako Ndhlovu. Conversions: Kwanda Mabuza. Penalities: Kwanda Mabuza (2). Maritzburg College 19 (5) – Tries: Kunene (2), Nyathi. Conversions: James Slevin (2).
RESULTS
1st: Pretoria Boys High 18-19 Maritzburg College
2nd: Pretoria Boys High 14-21 Maritzburg College
3rd: Pretoria Boys High 12-36 Maritzburg College
4th: Pretoria Boys High 7-10 Maritzburg College
5th: Pretoria Boys High 7-31 Maritzburg College
6th: Pretoria Boys High 10-27 Maritzburg College
7th: Pretoria Boys High 7-41 Maritzburg College
16A: Pretoria Boys High 14-29 Maritzburg College
16B: Pretoria Boys High 0-45 Maritzburg College
16C: Pretoria Boys High 12-19 Maritzburg College
16D: Pretoria Boys High 7-21 Maritzburg College
16E: Pretoria Boys High 31-0 Maritzburg College
15A: Pretoria Boys High 15-17 Maritzburg College
15B: Pretoria Boys High 15-20 Maritzburg College
15C: Pretoria Boys High 12-26 Maritzburg College
15D: Pretoria Boys High 27-0 Maritzburg College
15E: Pretoria Boys High 31-27 Maritzburg College
15F: Pretoria Boys High 43-12 Maritzburg College
14A: Pretoria Boys High 14-7 Maritzburg College
14B: Pretoria Boys High 10-51 Maritzburg College
14C: Pretoria Boys High 19-15 Maritzburg College
14D: Pretoria Boys High 12-17 Maritzburg College
14E: Pretoria Boys High 12-22 Maritzburg College
14F: Pretoria Boys High 21-17 Maritzburg College
HOCKEY
On the Astro, College pulled off a hard-fought 2-1 win over Boys High, with the drag flickers deciding the outcome of the contest.
Coach Kyle Emerson‘s charges struck first. A pinpoint overhead from Dane Jackson to Siwa Sithembu put the Red Army on the attack, and Sithembu then picked out Greg Askew, who played the ball onto a PBHS foot to win a penalty corner. Julian Konigkramer made it count, firing the ball into the backboard with a minute left in the opening chukka.
PBHS responded with a number of penalty corners of their own. First wave runner Banele Dlamini did an excellent job of closing them down, but Boys High struck on their fourth opportunity to level the scores.
In the second half, College began to string more passes together, which forced the home team onto the defensive.
Uyanda Dlamini, with some silky skills, earned College another PC and Konigkramer made it a double, this time launching a rocket into the top right-hand corner to restore the lead to the visitors.
PBHS launched a furious assault in the final chukka, earning a number of short corners, while College were reduced to 10 men because of a yellow card with seven minutes to go. They clung on, however, and secured a fine win.
College scored from two of their first three shorties, while Boys High managed only one of 11. That proved to be the difference in the game.
RESULTS
1st: Pretoria Boys High 1-2 Maritzburg College
2nd: Pretoria Boys High 1-1 Maritzburg College
3rd: Pretoria Boys High 0-1 Maritzburg College
4th: Pretoria Boys High 2-0 Maritzburg College
5th: Pretoria Boys High 0-0 Maritzburg College
16A: Pretoria Boys High 5-1 Maritzburg College
16B: Pretoria Boys High 3-2 Maritzburg College
16C: Pretoria Boys High 1-4 Maritzburg College
16D: Pretoria Boys High 0-0 Maritzburg College
16E: Pretoria Boys High 0-1 Maritzburg College
16F: Pretoria Boys High 0-0 Maritzburg College
16G: Pretoria Boys High 0-4 Maritzburg College
14A: Pretoria Boys High 1-1 Maritzburg College
14B: Pretoria Boys High 1-0 Maritzburg College
14C: Pretoria Boys High 2-3 Maritzburg College
14D: Pretoria Boys High 0-2 Maritzburg College
14E: Pretoria Boys High 2-1 Maritzburg College
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