Affies made a big statement regarding their intentions to end the season as the best 1stXV in the country with a big 40-08 win over Helpmekaar, their biggest win since 2016.
What was even more surprising was the big wins the Affies' U16 (71-05) and U14 (59-07)teams achieved. Helpmekaar's U15s (15-23) did win at the end in a close match. Several of Helpmekaar's stars were still busy with athletics. Not an excuse some would say, however, with the depth of Affies it is a lot "easier" to overcome. Maybe a rethink of the date of this fixture will result in a lot closer matches.
Helpmekaar's 1stXV is a well-balanced team, with their forwards once again showing against Affies in the first half that they will provide their backs with more than adequate quality attacking ball. Tjaart vd Walt's hand was already visible and this could make them a title contender in the NoorVaal Cup competition later in the year.
Affies on the other hand is a credible contender for the crown of the best 1stXV of 2025, however, as comprehensive as their win was over Helpmekaar they will need an extra 15-20% in their effort to beat the other contenders. Their defence was a lot better than against Diamanveld despite Helpmekaar's aggressive attacks launched time after time. Work is still needed up front with Helpmekaar dominating in the early exchanges on Saturday at the scrums and line-outs. What impressed me was the decision-making on the field as opposed to 2024 when they only played one game plan. This team could become terrifying if .........
Affies 1stXV was ruthless and scored tries at regular intervals. Their first try came only after four minutes from a line-out maul. Three tries followed to extend Affies' lead to 19-03 after twenty-six minutes of play in the first half. A try that started in Helpmekaar's half-cut Affies lead to 19-08, which was also the halftime score.
Affies added three unanswered tries in the second half to their total to secure a well-deserved 40-08 win.
Scorers:
Affies: Tries: Lohan Potgieter (2), Deon Botes (2), Christiaan de Wet, Divan Groenewald. Conversions: Ruben Groenewald (5).
Helpmekaar: Try: Shaye Lourens. Penalty: Wian Storm.