Bethlehem Voortrekker 31 – 0 Golden Lions Invitational XV
Bethlehem Voortrekker Hoërskool got their day two at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank off to a flying start, with a 31-0 win over the Golden Lions Invitational XV.
The first half saw a tight encounter with the scales tipping more towards Voortrekker, who started the stronger of the two teams. Both teams had scoring opportunities early, but knock-ons hindered any change to the scoreboard. Voortrekker did eventually break the deadlock on two occasions before the interval, through two tries. The half time break came, and the score saw the Lions trailing 12-0.
The second half saw a better performance from the Lions, who looked more threatening on attack. Handling errors however continued to riddle their play, with Voortrekker afforded opportunities to exit and create chances of their own. The boys from Bethlehem were more clinical, scoring a further 19 points to seal off a 31-0 victory on Burger Field.
Falcon College 29 – 0 St Benedict’s College
Falcon College once again rose above their opponents, this time picking up a 29-0 win over St Benedict’s College on Burger Field at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The game kicked off and it didn’t take Falcon long to cross over, continuing where they left off on day one. St Benedict’s looked a little shell shocked but did well on few occasions to keep a constantly threatening Falcon College at bay. Bennies eventually got to the break with a 15-point deficit.
The resumption of the clash saw Falcon continue to enjoy the better of the contest, seeing their backs combining well to remain a menace to the Bennies defence. The boys from Bedfordview struggled to string any real threat, finding themselves falling further behind on the scorecard. The final whistle certainly put St Benedict’s out of their misery, where they went another game without troubling the scorers. Falcon College on the other hand, made it two wins from two games, this time giving joy to their supporters on the stands with a 29-0 victory.
Graeme College 12 – 10 St David’s Marist Inanda
Graeme College left it late to stun St David’s Marist Inanda 12-10 in the third game of day two on Burger Field at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
It was telling from the opening few minutes that it would be a tightly contested fixture. Both teams were in the hunt for their first wins of the festival, with Graeme perhaps the slight favourites. St David’s made sure not to let up easily but they did however concede a converted try, which were the only points put on the board in the half.
The second half saw very little to tell between the two teams, but it was St David’s who managed to turn things around in the early exchanges of the half, swiftly taking a 10-7 lead. Graeme College did however leave it late to turn matters on their head, denying St David’s their first victory of the festival. It was a late try from Ashton Williams that saw the boys from the Eastern Cape home, with the conversion not being necessary in the final result as Graeme walked away 12-10 winners.
Kingswood College 18 – 40 Noordheuwel
Kingswood College were outclassed 40-18 by a relentless Hoërskool Noordheuwel side on Burger Field at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The game was always built up as one of the games to watch as Kingswood were in search of their first win of the festival, while Noordheuwel were looking to keep their 100% record intact. Kingswood struggled to front up physically against a side that possessed pace and a strong forward pack. Kingswood did register 8 points in the half but couldn’t stop the well-oiled Noordheuwel machine that ran in 21 points, taking a 13-point deficit into halftime.
Noordheuwel were pure class in the second half, managing the game well, making sure to maintain the scoreboard pressure. Kingswood never threw in the towel, continuously looking to find a way back in the contest. Noordheuwel however had put in enough work in the first half, allowing them to play with less pressure, eventually seeing them off to a 40-18 win.
Cordwalles Prep School 19 – 0 Pridwin Prep School
Cordwalles Preparatory School put in a stunning effort to claim a 19-0 win over Pridwin Preparatory School in a headline U13 game on Burger Field at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The first half saw an interesting contest from both ends, with both teams playing a centrally concentrated game. Cordwalles however looked the better team at set piece play, even claiming a few lineouts from Pridwin, which bode well in their quest to play an attacking game. Pridwin were good at attacking the ball in contact and turning it over, with Cordwalles seeing some of their carries letting them down. At the break, Cordwalles went in the happier, with a 7-0 lead.
The second half was dominated by the Cordwalles boys, who enjoyed a good territory battle. The awareness of the Cordwalles backs was also impressive to watch, where they were able to spot space behind the Pridwin backs and kick for the corners, pinning Pridwin back. The persistence of Cordwalles paid off in the end as they were able to close off a 19-0 win on Burger Field.
St John’s College 13 – 38 Hoërskool Nelspruit
Hoërskool Nelspruit were in fine form, posting up a 38-13 win over St John’s College on Burger Field at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The first half was a tightly contested affair with Nelspruit running in two tries, while the St John’s blues converted two penalties. There was an incredible vibe on the stands, with the home support spurring on the Blues, who struggled to find any real consistency, making errors that saw them consistently being pinned back. Nelspruit often used their physical edge well, which propelled them to a 12-6 lead at the break.
The second half saw a good rotation of players from both teams, which really tested the quality on the bench from both schools. The St John’s boys fought hard to stay in the fight but too many errors in the Nelspruit half kept them from making any real impact on the scoreboard. Nelspruit were far more clinical in the half, running in a further 26 points to clinch a 38-13 win.
SACS 24 – 26 Maritzburg College
Maritzburg College left it late to narrowly beat SACS 26-24 in a highly entertaining match up on Burger Field, at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
The first half saw SACS finding their rhythm the quickest, often also catching College out against the run of play. College were happy to take on the boys from Cape town physically, while SACS looked good finding the space and playing the ball out wide. The running rugby was the winner in the half, with SACS closing out the half with a 19-7 lead.
The second half saw a thrilling contest, with SACS enjoying the lead for the majority of the game. College however always kept within touching distance, with both teams exchanging blows on the scoreboard. It was the boys from the KZN capital that had the last laugh as they scored a late try to claim a narrow 26-24 victory.
Boland Landbou 14 – 17 Hilton College
Hilton College played out their socks to produce one of the biggest upsets so far, holding on for a 17-14 victory over Boland Landbou at the 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank.
Going into the clash, Boland were thorough favourites, but the start of the game saw Hilton really putting in a shift that likely shocked their opponents. It was no shock however when Boland went into the break leading 7-3. The boys from KwaZulu Natal however made it difficult for Boland to unleash their skillful backs, keeping a compact defence to set up a thrilling second half.
The second half saw the slight shift in momentum, with Hilton taking control of the scoreboard, swiftly racing to a 17-7 lead leaving Boland rattled. This led to a bit of panic in the Boland boys, who were evidently looking to play quickly which led to mistakes. Hilton kept their discipline but a slight lapse in concentration saw Boland pulling a converted try back, making it a 3-point game. It was a nervy finish but Hilton were able to hold on for a memorable 3-point win in front of their old boys, who were in full voice at the end of the match.
