Michaelhouse shock Kearsney
Kearsney played hosts to Michaelhouse on Stott Field on a warm Saturday afternoon, a match expected to be too close to call. But the boys from Balgowan had other ideas and won 45-7.
It was the 70th match between the two schools and it was Kearsney's emotional Reunion Day. In 2013 they had also played in Botha's Hill and on that occasion Kearsney won 38-5. This match seemed tailor made for a Kearsney victory but Michaelhouse took complete control of the game from the early exchanges. The forward pack from Balgowan stamped their authority on the encounter from the outset, freeing up time and space for Academy Week flyhalf, Bader Pretorius, to unleash his three quarters. Two tries were scored by the visitors before half-time, both converted, and Pretorius landed a penalty to make the score 17-0 to the visitors.
After the break, Michaelhouse raised the tempo and ran in four more converted tries. The pace of the game was exhilarating with plenty of hard running producing five tries. Both sides exhausted their substitution benches as the teams slogged it out on the pitch. The Michaelhouse Academy Week half back pair of Thomas Walker and Bader Pretorius marshalled proceedings and their influence on the game was just one facet of a sublime team performance.
The try of the match must surely have been Michaelhouse’s sixth, scored in the final minute of play. With Kearsney applying relentless pressure on the Michaelhouse goal-line to salvage a second try, Michaelhouse won a crucial scrum five metres out from their own goal-line and then opted to audaciously give the ball a little air. With a famous victory already a fait accompli, the ball found its way to hard running right wing Liam Furniss. Many passes later, replacement left wing, Frank Goble dotted down in the left corner. Pretorius’' conversion, his seventh successful kick of the day, sealed the host’s fate as the visitors left the field deserved 45-7 victors.
With Saturday’s clean sweep of all the open age group rugby fixtures, Michaelhouse can surely lay claim to being the pre-eminent independent rugby school in the province having achieved a similar feat against St Charles and losing the only 8th XV clash v Hilton College.
Teams
Kearsney: 15 Mitchell Nesbit, 14 Langa Hlongwane, 13 James Tedder, 12 Sebastian Pau, 11 David Zondi, 10 Tristan Tedder, 9 James Hall, 8 Stephen Tedder, 7 Patrick Zietkiewicz, 6 Anthony Quenet, 5 Tristan Dixon, 4 David Brown, 3 Matthew Maddock, 2 Nicholas Luyt, 1 Tijde Visser
Michaelhouse: 15 Robert Lee, 14 Liam Furniss, 13 Jason Schwegmann, 12 Michael Tatham, 11 Victor Foster, 10 Bader-Werner Pretorius, 9 Thomas Walker (captain), 8 Nicholas Egberink, 7 Jack Walters, 6 Zander Prinsloo, 5 Andrew Vogel, 4 Gary Porter, 3 Siyanda Mazibuko, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Gregory Jackson
Replacements: 16 Matt Wiseman, 17 Michael Mandy, 18 Jordan Sesink Clee, 19 Mulalo Sadiki, 20 Nicholas Anderson, 21 Matthew Potgieter, 22 Frank Goble
By Murray Witherspoon, Michaelhouse.
Photo: Hard-hitting flankJack Walters with ball in hand
Photographer: Wesley Biggs who is in Grade 11 at Michaelhouse
