Day 3: KES Wrap
Northwood beat Muir comfortably on day one, and ran the impressive Ben Vorster close on day two, and were expected to give the hosts a stern test, which they did in the end.
KES got off to a good start via two penalties by flyhalf Reece Botha and a try by eigthman Lindokuhle Ncusane, to lead 13-0.
They were made to defend on many occasions in the half, but held out and Northwood’s only points came from a penalty by Cameron Miller.
The Durban side came out strongly in the second half and dominated the early stages, getting a try by lock Pepyn Honing to close the gap to 13-8, but KES took control in the latter part of the game and scrumhalf Nicholas Harris darted over for a try following some strong forward play.
The win gave KES two wins out of three – their loss was to Wynberg Boys’ High on Saturday – a decent start to the season that lies ahead.
Jeppe became one of just two teams to win all three games when they beat Hudson Park 36-12 earlier in the day. They led 10-7 at the break and, at that stage, it looked like anyone’s game, but the superior size and strength of the Jeppe forwards took its toll in the second period and their exciting backs were given plenty of ball to play with.
Their flyhalf and captain, Muzi Manyike scored two tries for them and was one of the most exciting backs on display over the three days. The other tries were by Buitumelo Tstsane, Sipho Vayise and Karel Zowitsky. Manyike added three conversions.
The Hudson Park backs were full of running, but when their forwards began to wilt – they were badly disrupted by injuries in the second half – they battled to see much of the ball.
Jeppe needed a last gasp penalty on to beat Ben Vorster 29-26 on Thursday, and beat Marlow 23-17 in their second outing.
The other unbeaten side was Wynberg. They ran in 12 tries in beating Muir College 81-0 in a mismatch on Monday, after wins over Noordheuwel on day one and KES on day 2. They certainly had the most efficient pack on display over the three days, and they had some
good finishers in their back line. In all, they were probably the most impressive team on display.
The most exciting clash on day three was between Ben Vorster and Marlow. Marlow led 14-12 at half time and were 26-12 ahead halfway through the second half. Marlow then staged a concerted late effort and scored two tries to close the gap to two points.
A last-minute penalty by Jason Mulder won the game for them, 27-26, and they go home with two wins under their belt.
In the earlier games Eldoraigne beat Marais Viljoen 36-19 and Westville got their second win, 22-20 over Noordheuwel.
Day 3 Results
Ben Vorster vs Marlow, 27-26
Eldoraigne vs Marais Viljoen, 36-19
King Edward vs Northwood, 18-8
Jeppe vs Hudson Park, 36-12
Westville vs Noordheuwel, 22-20
Wynberg vs Muir, 81-0.
Day 1's Results
Jeppe vs Ben Vorster, 29-26
KES vs Westville, 28-20
Marlow vs Marais Viljoen, 39-20
Wynberg vs Noordheuwel, 49-7
Hudson Park vs Eldoraigne, 47-26
Northwood vs Muir, 50-7
Day 2’s Results
Noordheuwel vs Muir, 48-3
Ben Vorster vs Northwood, 38-28
Hudson Park vs Marais Viljoen, 23-22
Jeppe vs Marlow, 21-13
Wynberg vs KES, 23-17
By Theo Garrun
