Noord-Kaap Down Daniël Pienaar
Noord-Kaap Down Daniël Pienaar
Noord-Kaap of Kimberley, playing their first match since mid-May, did not have things all their own way against Daniël Pienaar of Uitenhage, eventually running out 40-24 winners.
However, the match, played in dry, wintry conditions at the Pirates Club in Kimberley, will be best remembered for reasons other than the sparkling rugby it produced.
The Uitenhage visitors had decided to include two front rankers whose young age required that they have clearance in terms of the BokSmart ruling.
The Griqualand West referees, well-known for their close compliance with the letter of the above initiative, would not permit them to take the field, resulting in uncontested scrums, which marred the spectacle to a large extent.
The hosts’ points came from tries by full-back Ryan de Wee (2), flank Luaan Pretorius, scrumhalf GM Bruwer, lock Bradley Leijdekkers and No.8 Gerhard Holtzhausen, to which outside centre Dimitrio Tieties added two conversions and two penalties.
NB According to BokSmart regulations an Under-16 player is allowed to play in a division as high as Under-18 but not Under-19 without the completion of forms/schedules by the player, his coach, his parents and the provincial schools union which give permission and indemnify rugby authorities along with a detailed history of the player's career. Referees (and coaches) are required to be BokSmart certified and apply BokSmart regulations.
