Simonsberg get home - only just
Sauer rugby continued on Friday with the much-anticipated Steinhoff Koshuis League clash against old foes Wilgenhof.
Despite the clash not being considered the derby of years past, few could argue that the rivalry has calmed down as was evident by a good gathering of the ‘Khaki Army’, as well as some big names in South African rugby.
With both teams needing a win to remain in contention for semifinal spots, nothing was held back and the match became a physical tussle rather than a free-flowing spectacle.
Early pressure from Simonsberg lead to a couple of converted penalties. However, Simonsberg were penalised heavily at the break down which resulted in long periods of defending as well as a yellow card.
The first try of the match came after the forwards destroyed the opponents by mauling the ball a good 20 metres before being awarded a scrum. From the scrum, a brilliant piece of play from Henri Dowling allowed Wally Smit to crash over to stretch the lead to eight points.
Willows managed to score with five minutes remaining, closing the gap to a single point. This resulted in a frenetic final few minutes, but some great tackling allowed Simonsberg to claim victory over Wilgenhof (for the second time this season) and move up to sixth on the log.
And, despite being exhausted, you can never get tired of hearing ‘Old Boys’ echoing around the Coetzenburg fields once again.
Special mentions:
– Henri Dowling on his 50th cap.
– Man of the Match: Walter ‘Stut’ Smit
– Mossie, for being described as a “konkrete mannetjie” by a Maties selector.
By Chris Jacobs
