WELKOM GIMNASIUM 19-17 LIONS INVITATIONAL XV
Day two of the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank got underway with Welkom Gimnasium claiming a late 19-17 win over the Lions Invitational XV on Burger Field.
The game was one of small margins as the Lions rose to the occasion against the dangerous Welkom team that inflicted a defeat to hosts St John’s on day one. The half only saw the two teams exchange blows in the form of a converted try for Welkom, while the Lions capitalized on a penalty they were awarded. Both teams struggled a little with being clinical, often losing the ball on crucial parts of the field. At the break it was Welkom who enjoyed more of the spoils with a 7-3 lead.
The second half was a scintillating affair, which saw the scale tip towards the Lions for the first time in the fixture. Welkom were momentarily left shell shocked as the Lions clawed their way to a 17-14 lead after having been 14-3 down in the first few minutes of the second half. Welkom did get an opportunity to regain the lead, but it was squandered, after they had crossed the try line but ran the ball over the dead ball line. Moments later however, they were back over the whitewash scoring an unconverted try that saw them do enough to snatch a victory in the jaws of defeat.
ST CHARLES COLLEGE 31-9 ST BENEDICT’S COLLEGE
St Charles College were able to overcome a St Benedict’s College challenge 31-9 on Burger Field at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The match dubbed the battle of the Saints saw St Charles dominating upfront, taking it to St Benedict’s early in the exchange to take a 10-0 lead inside the first 12 minutes. Bennies were only able to register a penalty in the half, while St Charles added a further seven points to take a 17-3 lead at the interval.
The second half was once again dominated by St Charles, but Bennies put in a better challenge with discipline letting them down at times. The ill discipline even led to a yellow card for a dangerous late tackle on the St Charles winger. In the end St Charles were able to capitalise on the mistakes and add to their lead, ending the game with hard fought 31-9 win.
GRAEME COLLEGE 20-20 ST JOHN’S COLLEGE
St John’s College clawed their way back to settle for a 20 all draw with Graeme College at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank.
Graeme College looked in top form in the first half, exploiting the St John’s defence with their skillful stepping and ferocious running. The St John’s Blues did well to stay in the encounter, keeping their opponents within touching distance. At the break it was Graeme leading 17-5.
The second half saw incredible courage from the St John’s boys, who fought hard to come back in what was a bruising encounter for them. The Graeme boys looked like they enjoyed taking on the St John’s boys physically but in the end that may have led to their undoing, that saw them committing more mistakes. The St John’s team pounced on the errors, opting to use their forwards to bash it up more often than not. It paid off for the home team as they managed to level matters in the last move of the game. The conversion attempt let the hosts down as they had to settle for a 20 all draw. Well done to both teams for putting on good hard-fought contest.
MARITZBURG COLLEGE 43-19 VS HOERSKOOL NELSPRUIT
Maritzburg College outclassed a determined Hoërskool Nelspruit team 43-19 at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank on Burger Field.
Nelspruit were the team that looked better in the opening exchanges of the game, playing most of the first few minutes in the College half. Maritzburg College held strong for a few moments before the deadlock was broke, with Nelspruit trotting over from close range. College hit back quickly with two tries before Nelspruit got one of their own to take the lead. College had the last laugh before the break, crossing over to take a 17-14 lead at the interval.
The second half saw the competitiveness continue between the two sides, but it was College who continued to look dangerous every time they had ball in hand. The big College forwards often took the ball up into contact, creating space for their elusive backs that troubled Nelspruit every time they were in possession. In the end it was Maritzburg College that enjoyed the better of the half, seeing them running off to a comfortable 43-19 victory.
HOËRSKOOL NOORDHEUWEL 19-24 HOËR LANDBOUSKOOL BOLAND
A late Hoërskool Noordheuwel fight was not enough as Hoër Landbouskool Boland claimed a narrow 24-19 win at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank.
Boland Landbou brought the physicality from the onset as expected, scoring a well worked team try inside the first minute of the game. Noordheuwel were fortunately able to remain in the contest, making two penalties while Boland added a further five pointer to their lead, taking the score to 10-5 at the break.
The second half was a much higher scoring affair as both teams started to play more freely with more space to exploit. Noordheuwel who seemed to be the darlings of the crowd in attendance had to put in quite a shift against a Boland team that looked dangerous every time they were attacking. Noordheuwel were able to hold their nerve though, piling the pressure on Boland and at some stage it looked like an upset was on the cards. Boland were however able to clinch the result late on with a 24-19 victory.
HILTON COLLEGE 20-24 JEPPE HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS
Hilton College ran Jeppe High School for Boys close in a late encounter, that Jeppe edged 24-20 at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank.
The first half it could be said belonged to Jeppe, who played most of their rugby inside the Hilton half applying pressure that saw them race off to an early lead. Hilton always managed to find a way of keeping Jeppe within their sights, when both teams had to settle for a 19-10 Jeppe lead at the halfway mark.
The second half was almost a completely different story as both teams went for the win, with Hilton even finding themselves in the lead at the later stages of the game. Again, the Hilton old boys were in full cry backing their team, which saw them motivated to upset the odds with a Jeppe win. The boys from Kensington however had other ideas, crossing the whitewash late on to come out 24-20 winners.
GREY HIGH SCHOOL 20-26 PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
In the last game of day two Pretoria Boys High School put in a great performance to sneak past Grey High School 26-20 at the St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly brought to you by Standard Bank.
The first half was a tight affair with both teams just trading tries apiece but it was Boys High who were the happier, edging it 7-5 at the break. It was difficult to really call the winner from the start, with Grey High getting out the starting blocks the quickest, with Pretoria Boys High School slowly getting their rhythm that saw them finish the half strong.
The second half was entertaining as both sides really went toe to toe with each other. It was quite an end-to-end game for certain periods that left spectators on the edge of their seats. Boys High were however the better finishers, holding on to claim the big scalp of Grey High 26-20.
