A successful 14th Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival wrapped up today (Monday) with three teams remaining unbeaten. Enthusiastic near-capacity crowds were entertained to exciting match-ups and the running pace with which schoolboy rugby is synonymous.
After great weather on Thursday and Saturday, things took a turn on Monday, with cold, overcast conditions really testing the skill level of the players involved, though it did nothing to dampen the excitement factor.
HoërskoolMonument from Krugersdorp and two KZN teams, Glenwood High School and Westville Boys’ High, ended the festival unbeaten.
Monument beat HoërskoolFramesby 28-7, Hoërskoof Noord-Kaap 50-5 and Dale College 41-5. Glenwood beat HoërLandbouskool Marlow from Cradock 22-10, Dale College 19-7 and Worcester Gimnasium 57-8; with Westville being successful against Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley 31-19, the United Kingdom’s touring Hartpury College 14-9 and Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen from Boksburg 22-10.
The Spirit of the Festival trophy was awarded to Worcester Gimnasium and Ceano Everson, Hoërskool Monument’s scrum half, was named player of the tournament.
Haartpury College (UK) 26-24 Kearsney College
Hartpury College ensured they didn’t leave Botha’s Hill empty-handed after knocking over hosts Kearsney College 26-24 in the final game of the weekend.
The Brits, who had drawn their opener with Hoerskool Dr EG Jansen 28-all, before falling to Westville Boys’ High 9-14, carried and tackled strongly to earn a well-deserved win in the end.
For Kearsney, who were beaten 20-23 by Dale College on day one before seeing off EG Jansen 17-12 in their second outing, it’s a case of taking the positives out of what was a very challenging fixture list.
By the time the match got underway, conditions had become extremely challenging for the players, with a persistent drizzle making ball-handling increasingly difficult.
Both sides began the encounter high on energy, with big hits flying in from all angles, but it was Hartpury College that slowly began to take control of the contest, courtesy of some accurate game management and intelligent decision-making.
Winger Dan Williams finished off for the tourists following a good spell of possession, before towering second row Joe Pauling added another, after some neat offloading on the left touchline.
Things were beginning to get worse for the hosts, with Williams scoring his second to take Hartpury out to a 19-0 lead, but James Francke pulled one back before half-time.
Kearsney upped the intensity in the second-half, putting in even more big hits on defence, and managed to score again through Chad Croshaw off the back of a good driving maul.
With just over 10 minutes to go, Mason Watkin and RoydanMadatt traded tries for their respective sides, and things got very interesting when a Jack Rankin charge down resulted in a Kearsney try with just seconds remaining.
Ultimately though Hartpury held on to go home with a win to add to their draw from their first game.
Framesby 35-07 Noord Kaap
Hoerskool Framesby took their chances when it mattered, to put Hoerskool Noord-Kaap away 35-7 in the penultimate game of the festival.
Both sides were searching for their first wins, with the Gqeberha boys heading into this one having already been beaten by both Hoerskool Monument and Durban High School. Noord-Kaap lost out to Westville Boys’ High in their opener, before being humbled by an excellent Monnas outfit in the final game of day two.
Framesby drew first blood when Sean Vermaak barged his way over after a thundering rolling maul, but a clever snipe by Noord-Kaap scrumhalf Stone Coates in the opposition red zone levelled matters a few minutes later.
The Eastern Cape side then proceeded to take firm control of the contest, setting up shop deep inside Noord-Kaap territory, and finally scoring through Tiaan Pretorius after some manful defending by the Kimberley boys.
Despite some late attacking chances, Noord-Kaap couldn’t narrow the deficit as the sides headed for the break with Framesby 14-7 in front.
Framesby again looked to their maul for an advantage and were rewarded when hooker Hein Terblanche extended their lead, before flyhalf Logan Muller cut the Noord-Kaap D to ribbons, to completely take away the game from the boys in white.
A yellow card to Terblanche did little to impact the result, with a Ryan Rosseau intercept against the run of play adding even more gloss to the score-line.
Ewald Labuschagne then earned himself a yellow for a trip late on, but it mattered not.
Westville 22-10 EG Jansen
Westville Boys’ High School beat Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen 22-10 in another absorbing encounter on the final day.
The result means Westville join Glenwood and Monument in leaving the festival with a three-from-three record, having previously dispatched Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and Hartpury College from the United Kingdom.
EG Jansen heads home winless, having drawn with Hartpury and narrowly falling to beat Kearsney College, during the first two days’ action.
The first half was a see-saw affair, with both sides enjoying plenty of possession. A fantastic chip and chase finish from David Twala broke the deadlock in EG Jansen’s favour before Westville hit back with a Karabo Maimane try after some powerful backline play.
Livewire fullback Tshegofatso Ramaloko, who enjoyed another standout showing, banged over a long-range penalty for the KZN outfit; but the boys from Boksburg hit back through Ruben Green, as the sides headed for half-time at 10-all.
Westville was beginning to stitch together some great phases, and a devastating break by No 12 Likhona Finca put eighthman Caleb Dreyden over, before skipper Tebogo M’khomazi dotted down soon afterwards.
EG Jansen had more opportunities to add to their tally, but Westville’s defensive work rate and solid tactical kicking shut them down time and again.
Ramaloko had another long-range effort, this time from 50 metres out, which fell just short; as Westville hung on for the win.
Monnas 41-05 Dale College
Hoërskool Monument saw off 13-man Dale College 41-5 in the third game of day three.
Outside centre Athi Msileni was shown his marching orders just six minutes into the encounter for a high hit on Monnas scrumhalf Hanno du Toit, but the Eastern Cape boys did well to keep the score tight in the first half, before running out of steam in the second.
Dale was reduced to 13 players, with just minutes remaining, after LinembasaMayoyoearned himself a red, but the game was as good as done by then.
Monument battled to hang onto the ball for sustained periods during the opening half hour, with Dale’s loose brand of footy causing them all sorts of problems. Ultimately though, the two-man advantage told, and they went on to grab their third win of the festival.
It didn’t take long for the Witbulle to open their account, courtesy of JC Oosthuizen, before Msileni saw red. Flyhalf Daylon Myners then went over minutes later with things beginning to look ominous for Dale, but they did exceptionally well to hog the ball and remain in the fight.
Liyabona Matyana pulled one back for the Daleians as the teams headed for half-time with Monument leading by just five.
The Krugersdorp boys were much improved after the break, and quick-fire tries to Nathan Venter, Ceano Everson and Jamaal Feldman in the space of a few minutes put the game to bed.
Everson got another before Mayoyo’s sending-off, while Jody Schambreel had the final say in the game.
DHS 32-25 Marlow
Durban High School secured a dramatic late 32-25 win over HoërLandbouskool Marlow in the second game of day three.
DHS enjoyed the majority of possession, but a number of handling errors stunted their momentum time and again. The accuracy of their passing left a lot to be desired at times, and they may have made more opportunities count had they been better in this department.
Marlow’s defence stood up strongly to the KZN boys’ initial onslaughts, and they did well to remain patient before launching attacks of their own.
Gideon Jordaan and Deano Boesak traded penalties early on before DHS began to dominate the ball. A prolonged period of DHS pressure finally told when barnstorming Siseko Mani barged his way over from close quarters, to put the Horseflies in front.
Marlow made a rare spell of possession count when flyhalf Aiden de Villiers’ dink over the onrushing defence was finally pounced upon by halfback partner Dempers Meyer. The successful conversion levelled matters. Another penalty apiece made it 13-all at the break.
Sustained DHS pressure finally told, when winger Maurice Willemse scythed his way over on the left for the first points of the second half.
Clever tactical kicking from Jordaan provided Marlow with some valuable territory and de Villiers made it count soon afterwards with a fantastic individual score to make it 18-all.
DHS hit straight back through a converted Amahle Mazibuko score, but another try by standout Marlow hooker HD Aucamp levelled the scores once more.
The match looked to be heading for a draw, but a late DHS attack was finished off under the sticks by ZingceSimke with time up on the clock to secure a rousing win.
Glenwood 53-08 Worcester Gim
Glenwood High School ensured they left Botha’s Hill with a 100% record after dispatching of Worcester Gimnasium 57-8 in the opening game of the final day’s play.
The Green Machine, buoyed by another well-structured attacking and defensive effort, dominated the collisions and barely gave their opponents an inch all morning.
Worcester, who beat DHS on the first day before falling to Marlow on the second, just couldn’t live with Glenwood’s physicality, and spent the majority of the match playing well behind the advantage line.
Firsthalf tries to Keegan Goosen, LithembaMfupi, MJ Schoeman and Liam Terblanche put Glenwood well ahead, with the Bosvarke unable to get out of their own half or secure any meaningful possession. When they did get the ball, they were immediately swallowed up by green defenders, who completely shut down their space - negating their superb offloading game in the process.
A Carick Kustoor penalty was as good as it got for the boys in blue in the firsthalf, with the KZN outfit leading 26-3 at the break.
Glenwood picked up where they left off in the second, grabbing further five-pointers through Jordan Hargreaves, while Terblanche and Schoeman each got their second.
Substitute Zuki Tom brought up the half-century for Glenwood before a William van Vuuren effort completed the rout.
Carick Kustoor grabbed a late consolation, but it meant little in the end.
