SACS hang on against Durbanville
SACS should have closed the game out earlier but in the end hung on for a 17-13 win (half-time 7-3).
It was a match which mirrored the one later in the day at Newlands with both teams guilty of numerous errors. Durbanville started well and dominated territory. SACS received a yellow card on ten minutes for tackling a player in the air and Durbanville converted the penalty to go 3-nil up.
On seventeen minutes SACS put together their first passage of good phase play and a neat tip-on pass saw No. 8 Lukhanyo Gqokoma go in under the sticks. Flyhalf Dean Reich converted.
SACS had another good attacking foray soon after as lock Storm Balchin charged through the visitors defence but they were unable to finish it off. Durbanville were playing well when they had the ball. Their feisty forwards giving their backs ample front-foot ball with which they regularly stretched the SACS defence. Had they held onto their passes they could possibly have turned in the lead.
Both teams had line-breaks early in the second half which amounted to nothing but five minutes in Durbanville narrowed the lead to a single point via the boot of centre Juanré de Klerk.
Twelve minutes into the half SACS punish a poor kick with a good counter-attack try. Centre Fabrice Nahimana freeing his arms to put left-wing Cameron Abegglen over in the corner. Five minutes later the Durbanville backs beat SACS on the outside and looked set to score. SACS scrumhalf Thurston Cloete tracked back and made a crucial tackle.
Having got out of jail SACS came back onto the attack and had a chance to kick and easy penalty to take a nine-point lead but chose to tap and run. They failed to score and Durbanville came back at them and were all over the SACS try-line. Had they scored they could well have taken the lead but a timely intercept by SACS fullback Ross Letcher saw right wing Matthew Hayes score in the corner.
At 17-6 SACS seemed safe and so they kicked another penalty to touch. They over threw the line-out only for Durbanville scrumhalf and captain Mondrey Titus to gather the ball and run the length of the field. He was held up short but flank Juan Mouton muscled over.
At 17-13 with a few minutes to spare it was a nervous final few minutes for the hosts who hung on a for a much needed win.
Scorers:
For SACS:
Tries: Lukhanyo Gqokoma, Matthew Hayes, Cameron Abegglen
Con: Dean Reich
For Durbanville:
Try: Juan Mouton
Con: Juanré de Klerk
Pens: De Klerk 2
