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IN a weekend of great schoolboy rugby, Kearsney proved too strong for Northwood; Hilton and Maritzburg College were involved in the game of the weekend at Hilton, the home side giving a solid account of themselves in falling short by six points. Westville and DHS were entertaining in Durban with the visitors crossing the line; Monument proved too strong for a scrappy Glenwood; Michaelhouse overwhelmed St Charles and Clifton sneaked home against George Campbell.
Northwood 14 Kearsney 36
Played at Northwood for their Founders’ weekend, the match was also televised and saw a strong performance from the visitors.
Kearsney scored first when flyhalf Cameron Ritchie crossed the whitewash after a powerful maul from a lineout.
Josh van Vuuren broke away with support from Jared Meyer, the move carried forward by Greg van Noordwyk, who was stopped just short of the line. He popped the ball to Ritchie who spun out a tackle to get the five points, James Tedder converting for a 7-0 lead.
Tedder added a penalty and Kearsney’s second try came from captain and flank Tristan Dixon who received a back-hand pass from No 8 Brady Erlich. Tedder added the extras and at 17-0 Kearsney looked comfortable.
Kearsney flank Luke Croshaw ran 40 m after intercepting a loose pass and Tedder’s boot made it 24-0 after 28 minutes.
The visitors’ fourth try of the first half came after a good counter from fullback Cullen Waberski who off-loaded to wing Cian Waugh. The resulting passage of play saw Erlich pick and go for his second try, Tedder missing his first conversion of the day.
Northwood played better in the second half, scoring their first try after a series of errors from Kearsney. This saw the home side play with more confidence but another loose pass saw Tedder outsprint the defence for another gifted seven-pointer.
Northwood had the final say with their second try, which was converted and although Kearsney finished strongly, they squandered a few chances.
The second half was scrappy with plenty of errors but Northwood are to be commended for their spirit in taking the game to Kearsney and never throwing in the towel.
Glenwood 8 Monument 21
The “Wit Bulle” from Krugersdorp made their trip to Durban worthwhile, bagging the spoils against a Glenwood side who were left to rue many errors and missed opportunities.
A first half where both sides made mistakes saw Glenwood enjoy most of the possession with poor handling costing points on the board.
These errors saw Monument capitalise and score two tries from deep in their half. Coupled with missed penalties, Glenwood were somewhat aggrieved to be 14-3 down at the break, fullback Jerome Bossr managing to bang one kick over before the break.
A similar second half or errors saw Glenwood launch attack after attack but Monument’s defence stood firm. However, the men in green did manage one breakthrough, wing Devon Brough taking a pass from No. 8 Marco Palvie to score in the left corner.
Monument had the final say with their third converted try for a win that Glenwood would feel they let slip at times.
Westville 20 DHS 12
Westville were forced to grind out their win against a DHS side spurred on by Old Boys and a passionate crowd.
Having beaten Glenwood the previous week, Westville had a point to prove but it was by no means easy.
DHS enjoyed a strong first half, signalling their intention to play, throwing everything at the visitors. Their reward was two tries scored by wings Joel Kidgell and Mvumeleni Mathenjwa with scrumhalf Gareth Simpson converting one.
At 12-0 DHS were in control but Westville eventually woke up and started making up lost ground. Sustained pressure saw hooker Hendrik Prinsloo finally get Westville on the board and the break saw DHS 12-5 to the good.
Despite staying in the game, DHS allowed Westville to take control and an early penalty from flyhalf Niel van Rooyen saw Westville four point adrift.
Westville’s pack started to assert their authority, dominating possession and the breakdown, rewarded when scrumhalf Bryce Kitching scored after huge pressure on the DHS scrum. Van Rooyen converted and Westville finally had a three-point lead.
The final nail in the coffin came when Westville prop Jordan Els dotted down, again after some solid scrum work, the conversion drifting wide.
DHS threw all into attack as the clock ticked down and put up a brave fight. At the final whistle, it was Westville’s forwards who had won the day.
Hilton 16 College 22
A cold afternoon saw the two teams commence battle on Gilfillan Field, the encounter starting at a frenetic pace. Hilton were boosted by a strong win against DHS the previous week and College were changing gear after a free weekend break.
Hilton scored first with a three-pointer and College responded by dominating territory and possession. Hilton defended well but were finally undone when Daniel Griffiths bagged an unconverted try. College’s lead soon stretched when the rolling maul was again used and captain and flank Kelton Thunder crashed over. Griffiths added a great conversion from the corner and from the restart, College romped onto attack, over-eagerness costing them with Hilton at their mercy.
Hilton kept in the game with a breakaway try after some poor College handling to close the gap to 12-10 and just before the break, a penalty from the hosts saw Hilton enjoy a 13-12 advantage.
Angry at letting it slip, College started the second half with intent, soon regaining the lead with a TK Chikwezvero try, converted by Matthew Kriel (19-12).
A penalty apiece completed the scoring although Hilton threw everything at College in the final 15 minutes. The final whistle saw Hilton held up in the tackle but it was too little too late.
Other Scores
Michaelhouse 94 St Charles 3
Clifton 24 George Campbell 19
