Local sides rule at Wynberg
All four Cape sides recorded comfortable wins over their Gauteng opponents on Saturday, 28 April, the first day of the Wynberg Rugby Festival.
The relatively clear conditions lent themselves to exhilarating running rugby, the large crowd being richly rewarded with 31 tries.
Rondebosch (13) 37 Helpmekaar (8) 8
The early game saw both sides start tentatively as the Gauteng lads had both unfamiliar conditions and bus-lag (their drive through from Kimberley was bedeviled with mechanical problems) to contend with.
Bosch pivot Tyren Lee gave early note of his intention to stamp his mark on the game with penalties on either side of a try by the visitors’ tighthead Divan Binneman. A penalty by Helpmekaar outside centre Lourie Weyer gave them a brief lead, which was cancelled out when lanky Bosch centre Alex Mather sliced through the defence to touch down. Lee’s conversion made the score 13-8 at the break.
Despite their only breaching the local defence once, Helpmekaar were actually matching Rondebosch pretty well up front. However, the backline was finding the going a lot heavier and the first scoring move of the second period saw left wing Alaric Hobbs accelerate beautifully through a gap to give Lee the easiest of conversions, which he followed shortly with a well-struck penalty (23-8).
As the match drew to a close the up-country lads quite excusably started to flag and local full back Nic le Roux gratefully picked up a dropped pass to canter over unthreatened. Lee decided to add a five-pointer to his points tally when he collected the ball close to the line for a simple touch down. He converted both of these tries to post an impressive 17 points. Final score 37-8.
The exemplary performance of the young Rondebosch flyhalf epitomises the growing confidence in the team from Canigou Drive. Two weeks ago he looked shaky against Wynberg, but, by the Boishaai outing on 21 April, he was already a perceptibly stronger player. On Saturday he exuded the kind of confidence that comes not only from winning – or even winning well – but from playing in a team that is knitting into a fine combination. Still, at 16, it’s early days for him, so too for Clinton van Rensburg’s team, who now have every reason to look forward eagerly to the local season.
HTS Drostdy (27) 61 St Benedict’s (10) 17
The massive Donkeys’ pack lived up to advance publicity as they wore down a more than game St Benedict’s eight in the second match.
Having notched 63 points against Charlie Hofmeyr on Wednesday, Drostdy were expected to come out firing on all cylinders. The Bennies had apparently been handed a different script and they drew first blood via the boot of flyhalf Mathew Smit, only for Hanru Liebenberg, the 16-year-old brother of SA Under-20 captain Wiaan, to crash his way over for the first of the Worcester team’s eleven tries.
Not showing any signs of being cowed, Bennies went ahead again when wing Ra-eeq Ploker exploited the overlap. Unfortunately, that advantage was soon nullified when first right wing Hannes Lochner and then hooker Marius Paulsen registered five pointers (Drostdy 15 St Benedict’s 10).
Next tireless workhorse and skipper Izak Burger dotted down the first of his two tries before what could well be deemed the try of the day. Scrumhalf Chriswill September and flyhalf Gilbert Abrahams brilliantly exchanged passes before the former nipped across the line with the Bennies players flummoxed. At last Abrahams managed a conversion and water was served at 27-10.
Although Paulsen was rewarded with a second try early in the second half, St Benedict’s could have been forgiven for fancying their chances when effervescent centre Sihle Hlomza nabbed what became a seven-pointer thanks to Smit’s boot (32-17).
Regrettably, only fairytales have such happy endings and the visitors came apart in the closing stages as the Donkeys’ backs sauntered over for five more well-deserved tries, only two of the lot being converted, one of them by a despairing Burger!
Drostdy came to Wynberg as a pack reportedly in search of a backline. Well, they’ve got a pretty effective one to go with an awesome eight, the appearance of any one of whom in a dark alley would cause even Chuck Norris serious self-belief issues. Now they’d better start trying to cultivate a kicker because, when they start facing the Western Province big boys, every last point is going to count. 16 squandered points is just not good enough.
SACS (19) 33 St Stithians (3) 3
This always looked likely to be the match of the day, various reports pointing to a SACS resurgence and heralding the strength of a St Stithians unit which had recently cowed Pretoria Boys High into submission. The first proved largely true; the latter, miserably inaccurate.
The Young Ikeys hit the ground running, live-wire flanker Luke van der Smit’s two tries – both immaculately converted by flyhalf Chris Smith – putting them 14-0 up in no time. Saints did manage a lone penalty by centre Innocent Radebe, but fine driving play by the whole pack forced vice-captain and lock Adam de Carvalho over to restore a healthy lead (19-3) before the break.
In the second period St Stithians tendency to be their own worst enemies – tight forwards in the backline, poor handling among the backline when they did actually get the ball – became ever more obvious. SACS may have only added two more tries, by scrumhalf and captain Cameron Calder and reserve back Mzi Dempers, both converted by centre Leighton van Wyk, but their dominance should perhaps have been more visible on the scoreboard. Final score 33-3.
Are SACS really that good? Perhaps that question will be answered only at the Farm next Saturday; while these Saints may have come marching in, they were decidedly less bouncy on the way out.
Let’s just say that SACS look a very effective unit with no glaring weaknesses. Whatever the final verdict, a large degree of their current success can be put down to the outstanding halfback pairing of Cameron Calder and Chris Smith, both of whom read the game quickly and intelligently. Playing with these two behind or in front of you makes the task just that little bit easier.
Wynberg (26) 41 St John’s (6) 13
The hosts were full value for their impressive win, building on the foundations laid on tour in Ireland and a character-packed away win against Rondebosch.
The visitors set the scoreboard in motion with the first of two penalties by fullback Wesley Coulentianos, but two breakaway tries, by lock Dylan Roberts and veteran campaigner Sikhumbuzo Notshe, both of which were goaled by the trusty boot of fullback Jordan Lamoral, soon established a supremacy (14-3) that was never to be seriously threatened.
Before the half was over slick flyhalf Riaan O’Neill (from close to the Saints’ line) and Lamoral himself, breaking wide on the left, had added two more five-pointers, the first of which the fullback converted. Half-time 26-3.
The Berg managed three more touchdowns in the second session, additional efforts by O’Neill and Notshe sandwiching a fine run-in by hardworking left wing Josh de Stadler. None were converted as the locals’ employment of all their subs resulted in Lamoral and later O’Neill being consigned to the woodwork. The Saints’ only reply was the result of a fine break by centre Niels Kuhnemann, the conversion of which was slotted by right wing Thobela Ndzimande. Final score 41-13.
The more one sees of Gus Leslie’s men, the better they look. Careful nurturing over the last two years and a great team-building Irish ramble have drawn the strings tightly together. As with SACS, sceptics may require that they be subjected to more demanding opposition before giving them the thumbs-up. Whatever, they serve up very attractive rugby, which is what it all comes down to in the end.
By the by, spectators were treated to a rare occurrence in the first half of the Wynberg game. Jordan Lamoral took a conversion slap in front from a little too close to the tryline. One of the Johnnies got a hand to it a la a soccer goalkeeper, but only managed to deflect it up and over the bar.
You don’t need Nostradamus on your cell-phone to tell you that three of the Cape teams will in all probability further boost their points differences on Monday, but Rondebosch vs St Stithians at 15.00 could easily go either way.
Other results:
Under-19
Wynberg Blues vs Reddam 1st XV, 44-0
Wynberg Colts vs Fish Hoek 1st XV, 32-0
Under-16
Wynberg vs St John’s, 32-0
St Benedict’s vs Drostdy, 40-7
St Stithians vs SACS, 21-8
Helpmekaar vs Rondebosch, 24-6
Under-15
Wynberg vs St John’s, 10-0
Drostdy vs Primrose RFC, 16-7
SACS vs St Stithians, 17-3
Rondebosch vs Helpmekaar, 15-5
Under-14
St Benedict’s vs Drostdy, 22-7
SACS vs St Stithians, 50-0
Helpmekaar vs Rondebosch, 29-5
Wynberg vs St John’s, 25-5
Fixtures for Monday, 30 April:
Hawthornden Field
09.50: Wynberg Blues vs Fish Hoek 1st XV
11.00: Wynberg 1st XV vs St Benedict’s 1st XV
12.20: SACS 1st XV vs St John’s 1st XV
13.40: Drostdy 1st XV vs Helpmekaar 1st XV
15.00: Rondebosch 1st XV vs St Stithians 1st XV
Silverhurst A Field
09.20: Rondebosch Under-16 vs St Stithians Under-16
10.30: SACS Under-16 vs St John’s Under-16
11.40: Wynberg Under-16 vs St Benedict’s Under-16
12.50: Drostdy Under-16 vs Helpmekaar Under-16
14.00: Wynberg Colts vs Reddam 1st XV
Silverhurst B Field
09.00: Wynberg Under-14 vs St Benedict’s Under-14
11.00: Rondebosch Under-14 vs St Stithians Under-14
12.00: Drostdy Under-14 vs Helpmekaar Under-14
13.00: SACS Under-15 vs St John’s Under-15
14.00: SACS Under-14 vs St John’s Under-14
Silverhurst C Field
11.00: Drostdy Under-15 vs Helpmekaar Under-15
12.00: Rondebosch Under-15 vs St Stithians Under-15
14.00: Wynberg Under-15 vs Strand Under-15
By Tony Stoops
