Oakdale, Diamantveld share spoils

The first day of the 2012 Oakdale Rugby Festival, Thursday, 22 March, saw several sides registering impressive wins, but the real crunch matches come in the evening session.

In the curtain raiser Hermanus came from behind to beat Border’s Hudson Park 14-13 courtesy of a last-minute try.

The excitement carried over into the main game in which Oakdale and Diamantveld of Kimberley drew 19-19 in what proved to be a stand-off between the home forwards and the visitors’ backs. In the end a late try secured a draw for the Bulle.

Star performers were three largely unheralded Boland schools. Overberg, who completed a nine-try demolition of Knysna (53-0); Vredendal, who crossed their opponents’ line seven times in sweeping past Sentraal of Beaufort West 41-0 and Stellenbosch, who also managed seven five-pointers en route to a 45-0 destruction of East London’s Grens.

The 2012 Ovies team has been several years in the building and, with this result, they have thrown down the gauntlet to all-comers in the province of the vine.

Another Boland side, Augsburg Gym, had little difficulty in dispensing with Walvis Bay 22-3 to continue their good run.

The Western Province representatives experienced differing fortunes.

Strand scored six tries to beat Bredasdorp comfortably 38-14, Brackenfell eked out a narrow 19-12 victory over Aliwal North of Border and Bellville High held off Montagu 20-5.

However, Durbanville, unbeaten in 2011, succumbed 0-22 to Oudtshoorn’s Langenhoven Gym and Monument Park found Port Rex of East London too tough a nut to crack, losing 5-15.

Day One results:

Augsburg Gym vs Walvis Bay, 22-3
Bellville vs Montagu, 20-5
Brackenfell vs Aliwal North, 19-12
Hermanus vs Hudson Park, 14-13
Langenhoven Gym vs Durbanville, 22-0
Oakdale vs Diamantveld, 19-19
Overberg vs Knysna, 53-0
Port Rex vs Monument Park, 15-6
Stellenbosch vs Grens, 45-0
Strand vs Bredasdorp, 38-14
Vredendal vs Sentraal (Beaufort West), 41-0

Saturday’s programme:

Die Eike
09.30: Vredendal vs Port Rex
10.40: Overberg vs Bellville
11.50: Strand vs Langenhoven Gym
14.00: Stellenbosch vs Brackenfell
15.10: Hudson Park vs Walvis Bay
16.20: Oakdale vs Augsburg Gym
18.10: Diamantveld vs Hermanus

Poulierbos
10.40: Grens vs Knysna
11.50: Sentraal (Beaufort West) vs Monument Park
14.00: Aliwal North vs Montagu
15.10: Bredasdorp vs Durbanville