Oakdale win Classic Clash in Cradock

For the sixth year in a row Oakdale of Riversdale beat Marlow of Cradock, this time a [palindromic 51-15 in an FNB Classic Clash.

It was dry in Cradock, the field winter brown from the frosty weather as the farming friends renewed their rivalry which started in 2001.

It was an enthusiastic match for the energetic players and the noisy spectators and the final score does not to justice to the efforts of the home side who simply did not have the Oakdale speed and skill in the finish. Oakdale played with greater confidence, but then they have been having a much, much better season than the Wolramme, the Riversdale school ranked a powerful 11th in South Africa.

The crowd counted down and Darren Adonis, Oakdale's creative fullback, kicked off. Oakdale won a turnover and stayed on a hectic attack with Kurt Eybers close after a charged down kick. But it was a penalty goaled by Adonis that gave them a 3-0 lead after 4 minutes.

Back they came and the Eybers twins did well. Adonis grubbered towards the Marlow line where Nicolus van Eeden got to the awkward ball and scored. 8-3 after 9 minutes.

Marlow had a chance to attack after this, as they did often in the match but the Oakdale tackling was deadly and Marlow found it hard to develop fluid plays, leaving their outside players largely neglected. but when Oakdale were penalised flyhalf Gerhard Potgieter made it 8-3.

Again Oakdale turned over the kick-off and exuberant flank Bertie de Bod scored a try. 13-13 after 17 minutes.

Oakdale tapped a penalty but Marlow turned the ball over but to their detriment, for Adonis intercepted a pass and scored at the posts.  He converted. 20-3 and 20 minutes, maar nog was dit het einde niet.

Oakdale attacked on the left and then went right where flyhalf Boeta Hamman, in an outside centre position, dummied accelerated and ran some 50  metres to score. 25-3 after 23 minutes. That was the half-time score.

Marlow attacked down the right and tall flank Gunther Pretorius broke strongly. Marlow kicked a penalty out for a five-metre line-out. They did a 'Richie McCaw move' at the front of the line-out but the Oakdale defence was more alert than the Springboks had been the previous week.

Oakdale has twins at centre and also had twins in the sin bin – first Kurt Eybers for a tip tackle and then William Eybers for a stamp, which reduced Oakdale to 13 men, but it did not stop them scoring with 13 men, as the locks combined down the right and Daniel Victor ignored the attempts of six Wolramme to force his way over in the corner. 30-3 after 46 minutes.

Form an attacking line-out after a penalty, Marlow attacked and Potgieter and Janse Roux were close.

Marlow overthrew a line-out on the Oakdale 22 and Oakdale ran out of trouble. There  was a wonderful passage of interplay between backs and forwards with the twins prominent till flank Hanno Olivier raced over for his second try. 37-3.

Marlow kicked off to the left, won the ball and went right where outside centre Stefan Botes had the luxury of possession and he cut through six would-be tacklers to score. 37-10 after 57 minutes.

Then Marlow came back and Herman du Plessis won an attacking line-out. His team formed a maul around him and Renier Pretorius burst over for a try. 37-15 with six minutes to go, and at last Marlow had given supporters something to shout about.

But their joy was short-lived as in those six minutes Oakdale scored two tries – the first by Van Eeden after a turnover, the second substitute Alex Wallace after a clever underarm pass by Bertie du Bod as he raced down the right.

Both sides tried to play when time was up but eventually the ball rolled, tired, into touch.

Scorers

For Oakdale:

Tries: Van Eedden 3, De Bod, Hamman, Victor, Olivier, Wallace

Cons: Adonis 4

Pen: Adonis

For Marlow:

Tries: Botes, Pretorius

Con: Potgieter

Pen: Pot Gieter

Teams:

Marlow: 15 Armand van den Heever, 14 Charel du Plessis, 13 Stefan Botes, 12 Andre Kritzinger (captain), 11 Thinus Ferreira, 10 Gerhard Potgieter, 9 Xander Stotter, 8 Renier Pretorius, 7 Gunther Pretorius, 6 Herman du Plessis, 5 Herman Greef, 4 Janse Roux, 3 TJ Scheepers, 2 Arno le Roux, 1 Paul du Randt.

Replacements: 16 Jandre Bezuidenhout, 17 NJ Oosthuizen, 18 Wihan Ferreira, 19 CJ van Niekerk, 20 Lourens Oosthuizen, 21 Nelus van Wyk.

Oakdale: 15 Darren Adonis, 14 Daine Kannemeyer, 13 Kurt Eybers, 12 William Eybers, 11 Nicolus van Eeden, 10 Christo Hamman (captain), 9 Eckard Leicher, 8 Renaldo Ferreira, 7 Hanno Olivier, 6 Bertie de Bod, 5 Ewan Coetzee, 4 Daniel Victor, 3 Andre Posthumus, 2 HP van Schoor, 1 Hermanus Botha.

Replacements: 16 Marko van der Merwe, 17 Chrisjan du Toit, 18 Jaco Smit, 19 WP van Heerden, 20 Zinedine Booysen, 21 Alex Wallace, 22 Xavier Swartbooi.

Referee: Rodney Boneparte (Eastern Province Rugby Referees' Society)  

Assistant referees: Steven Nyoko, Johan van der Merwe