Maritzburg College School Magazine Maritzburg College Magazine 2016 electronic | Page 151

RUGBY
Match Reports
Kearsney Easter Festival
vs Dale College: Lost 16-25
Maritzburg College were given possibly the toughest fixtures at the Festival
starting with a very talented Dale side on the first day. Dale had some big
forwards and a very pacey backline. College had the early opportunities
but did not finish them off. Instead, it was Dale who scored first and an
error presented them with a second try and a 12-0 lead. Sustained pressure
brought College an unconverted try and an exchange of penalties made
the half time score 15-8. The second half started the same as the first, with
College playing the rugby but not finishing off. After a further penalty to
each side, some very good structured play resulted in a try that brought
College back into the picture at 18-16 down. A yellow card gave Dale
a crucial advantage and they used their numerical superiority to score a
converted try to make the final score 25-16.
Tries: Muller, Khanyile
Conversion: Van Blerk
Penalties: Van Blerk (2)
vs Selborne College: Lost 7-18
The highly rated Selborne side were next up for a College team wanting
to make amends for the loss against Dale. Selborne opened the scoring
with a try, but College replied through Duma, after good pressure, to
vs Grey College (Away): Lost 13-60
Travelling to Grey College is always a tough assignment but the team were
looking forward to the challenge and were positive in the week leading up
to the game. From the start College found it difficult to get their hands on
the ball – any form of competition at ruck time was penalised and College
was heavily penalised at the set pieces. With a mountain of possession,
Grey had a momentum that was impossible to stem. The half time score
was 39-3 in Grey’s favour. The second half was a little better, with the
College boys giving everything they had in defence. They did well to score
two tries with the little possession they had and showed what they could do
with ball in hand. This had been a brutal start to the 2016 season but the
team would stand up and fight back.
Tries: Hancock, Guma
Penalty: Van Blerk
vs Pretoria Boys High School (Goldstone’s): Won 32-11
Maritzburg College hosted PBHS on Goldstone’s in searing heat. With the
temperature reaching 33 degrees it was a tough day for all teams. The 1st
XV match started off with Boys High exerting early pressure from a College
mistake at the kick off, but College came back and dominated the first half
with three tries to lead 20-6 at the break. From the restart the visitors came
out with intent, but from a PBHS mistake College scored a converted try
lead 7-5. A penalty to Selborne gave them a narrow half-time lead. Once
again, a yellow card swung the momentum Selborne’s way and a penalty
and converted try took their lead 18-7. In the last 15 minutes, College
threw away at least three try scoring opportunities, as they enjoyed total
territorial and possession superiority. It was a bitter pill to swallow with
another possible win being thrown away.
Try: Duma
Conversion: Van Blerk
vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen: Lost 8-47
This was always going to be a big test for the team. Injuries were a
problem and some of the junior players were required to step up and
perform against arguably the best side at the festival. After 15 minutes,
College were 7-3 down but were creating opportunities. The opposition
changed tactics and used their big forwards to run at the College backs.
Tackles were missed, the defensive structure was slow in forming again
and the dam wall broke. Four tries made the half-time score 35-3 and the
College team was under siege. A much improved second half performance
restricted EG Jansen to two tries as the College boys fought back well. This
was a baptism of fire for the team, having three test matches for their first
three games of the season.
Try: Mjara
Penalty: Van Blerk
in the corner. A further try made the lead 32-6 and the stage was set for
a really commanding win. Unfortunately, this was not to be as the game
seemed to die a slow death with the whistle dominating. To their credit,
PBHS had the last say after some good driving from their forwards.
Tries: Guma, Muller, Truter, Landman, Squires
Conversions: Van Blerk (2)
Penalties: Van Blerk (2)
vs Michaelhouse (Away): Won 30-20
Maritzburg College travelled to Balgowan to play Michaelhouse on their
Reunion Day. The game started at a frenetic pace and Van Blerk was on
target with two early penalties. After Michaelhouse kicked a penalty, the
teams each scored a try and a further Michaelhouse penalty made the half
time score 13-11 to the home team. After an interception College scored
an unconverted try, but Michaelhouse responded with a converted try
from a drive off a lineout to lead 20-16. This seemed to spark the College
team and two converted tries gave them a 10 point lead. Michaelhouse
tried hard in the