Kearsney beat neighbouring Westville
Kearsney scored the first try through fullback Robbie Koenig from a rehearsed backline move from the left-hand side of the field. Taine Muirhead converted for an early 7-nil lead.
Westville scored their first try of the match six minutes later when fly half Kyle Forsyth stepped two defenders for a converted try. Scores levelled at 7-all.
After a handling blunder by the hosts, Westville winger Habana Mkwanazi scored an opportunistic try when he toed the ball down the touch line and managed to dive on to it with centimetres spare to the dead ball line. This took the lead to 12-7 in Westville’s favour.
It was not long before Kearsney scored again to regain the lead from a try scored by hooker Taine Polzi after some good phase play. Muirhead converted for a 14-12 lead. Unfortunately for the hosts they squandered some opportunities and the score remained unchanged at the half time whistle.
Kearsney opened their account in the second half with a Muirhead penalty, following a tackle infringement by the visitors. Kearsney was dominant in field territory and centre Derick Marshall received a switch pass from his flyhalf 15m out and impressed with his acceleration and power to score a deserving converted try and stretching the lead to 24-12.
The hosts seemed confident but a series of mistakes allowed Westville back into the race when they scored a converted try from winger Mkwanazi, shrinking the gap to 19-24.
Kearsney flyhalf Jacques Odendaal made up for not finding touch from an earlier penalty when he sliced through the defence after receiving the ball from an ensuing left-hand scrum. Muirhead again converted, widening the gap to 31-19.
Westville made good of a catch and drive line-out and was awarded a penalty try when Kearsney was adjudged to have entered from the side of the maul, again shrinking the gap to 26-31.
Kearsney responded immediately from the kick-off when captain Sibu Sangweni collected a loose ruck ball, resulting from good pressure and physical contact, for Muirhead to convert and take the score to 38-26.
The match ended with another penalty try to the visitors, when a player was tackled in the air after collecting a chip kick 10m from the try line. The final score was 38-33 to Kearsney.
By Sue Miles of Working Words
