Cape Schools Week: Day Two
Day Two of the Cape Schools Week at Paarl Gimnasium saw the teams battling some tough conditions, which made running rugby quite a challenge.
Eastern Cape sides Selborne and Queens had to work hard for their close victories against Southern suburbs opponents, whilst Grey High, Wynberg Boys and hosts Paarl Gim had an easier time of it in the wet conditions.
Tony Stoops take a closer look at the matches:
Selborne 23-17 Rondebosch
The first game of Monday 24 June 2013, the second day of the Cape Schools Week at Paarl Gim, saw Selborne College of East London beat Rondebosch rather more comfortably than the 23-17 margin might suggest.
A strong swirling wind, the forerunner of the rain which arrived midway through the match, made any constructive rugby virtually impossible
Although Rondebosch never let their heads drop, one could see pretty well throughout that their considerably weakened side was always going to struggle against their extremely well-drilled East London opponents, whose willingness to vary their methods of attack might well have borne more fruit in less inclement conditions.
Queens 19-17 SACS
In increasingly foul weather a substantially sub-strength SACS gave a very good account of themselves before losing 17-19 in game two on the second day of the Cape Schools Week against a Queens side that had impressed despite going down 20-26 to Wynberg in their opening fixture.
If there is one player who has convinced every spectator of his immense ability, it is Queens no 8 Justin Hollis, once again a no-brainer for Man of the Match, whose awkward but effective running style wreaked all sorts of havoc in the SACS ranks.
The Young Ikeys nearly snatched the match in the dying seconds when Queens were forced to take desperate measures to hold them out after a handling error in their 22 metre area,
Sadly (for SACS), it was not to be and the final score was : SACS 17 Queens College 19.
Overall, the game was fascinating, if only for the ways the two sides struggled to defend on the one hand and gain the ascendancy on the other, but conditions pretty well put a damper on running rugby.
Grey High 20-8 Boland Landbou
Memories of Saturday's comfortable 34-22 win over Dale quickly evaporated as Boland Landbou gave a very poor account of themselves in losing 8-20 to Grey High in the dusk kick-off on the second day of the Cape Schools Week at Paarl Gim.
Boland may be a small school (around 340 pupils) beset with a seemingly endless string of injuries this season, but it is very difficult to understand, or – if you are a devoted supporter – to swallow this result, coming after the win against Muir with largely the same combination.
Whether they'd like to admit it or not, a large part of the Farmers' limited success in recent times has depended on the form of ever-dependable pivot Tian Nel, or, rather, on the accuracy of his prodigious right foot. Well, it was not its, his or their day as the side failed to turn up for a large portion of the match.
It is therefore perhaps somewhat ironical that his counterpart, the brilliant Curwin Bosch dictated the game from behind the scrum, in the process giving himself an advance birthday present.
Landbou have had an uphill struggle this season and, on the evidence of this outing, things really don’t look like brightening up. In other words, the only light at the end of the tunnel is most probably an approaching train.
Grey’s composure was their trump card. One just wonders whether they might have upset the host school last Saturday, had they already had a few days to settle down.
Wynberg 38-6 Muir College
They may owe a great debt of gratitude to in-form Karl Martin, but the whole Wynberg team was good value for its decisive 31-9 win over surprise package Muir College in the tea-time kick-off on day two of the Cape Schools Week at Paarl Gim.
The lads from Lovers Walk made quite sure from the outset that their Uitenhage opponents would not be able to repeat their surprise come-from-behind 31-27 victory over Rondebosch on the opening day.
Whereas they had the element of surprise in their favour on Saturday, Muir found out that these opponents had done their homework well, although they at no stage disgraced themselves. Wynberg may just be a little concerned that all their creative attacking could only yield three tries, but, hey, a win's a win.
Paarl Gim 38-3 Dale
Saturday's win against Grey High might have been nail-biting stuff, but Gim's clinical disposal of the small Dale College team saw them back at their clinical best.
Size was always going to be a major factor in this clash so it was hardly surprising that, despite the treacherous conditions underfoot, the King William's Town unit tried to spread the ball out wide from the kick-off.
While Dale were left to lick their wounds, there was understandable euphoria in the Gim camp, not because of the win, which was never in doubt, but because this reinforced the belief that the coaching structures in place at the school are starting to produce the desired results.
The decision to coach all the Gym sides according to a similar blueprint was manifestly vindicated by the ability of a group of Seccies and Chippies not only to fit into the 1st XV pattern, but to do so so seamlessly.
Source: stoopstats.co.za
