Graeme dominate derby
The Graeme College first rugby team beat St Andrew’s for the first time since 2003 in their FNB Classic Clash on Saturday played at Graeme’s Somerset Field, and did so easily – winning by 37-12. The game was televised live on Supersport, and Graeme supporters will want to watch this one over and over again.
Graeme flyhalf Wayne Howarth kicked a penalty from straight in front to open the scoring in the tenth minute. (Howarth was successful with seven out of eight kicks in the match). The Graeme halfbacks, Howarth and Jonty van der Meulen, kept St Andrew’s under pressure by constantly kicking their team into good field positions.
In the fifteenth minute this pressure told as a bad throw from St Andrew’s hooker Andrew Walker found Graeme eighthman Rosco Dredge at the back of the lineout who went through to score. The next five minutes saw two more tries to Graeme. From the kick-off lock Justin McDougall gathered and ran 60 metres to beat the cover defence and go over in the corner, with Howarth also converting. Graeme then kicked into opposition territory, won a turnover and quickly spread the ball wide to right wing Eling Muying, who hit the gap to score under the poles.
Graeme now lead 24-0 after 22 minutes (and scored 21 points in a short period), and the game was essentially over as a contest. Two more penalties from Howarth and the score was 30-0 at the break.
St Andrew’s looked a little better in the second half, but the game became more and more scrappy as the outcome became obvious. The St Andrew’s team did, however, manage to put together a number of phases in the fifth minute of the second period, which was finished off by center Chris Ball, who also converted his own try.
Any hopes of a comeback were ended when Graeme won another turnover and quickly got the ball to wing Bradley Birkholtz who scored his team’s fourth try. St Andrew’s finished well as vice-captain and fullback Rory McIntyre scored a good counter-attacking try after running 50 metres.
St Andrew’s fought back in the second half, but there was no doubt who was better in this derby game.
By Grant Ball
