The curtain came down on Kearsney’s rugby season with a clash against old foe Hilton College. Hilton showed their class as they gave away nothing in the first half, starting and ending it with a clinical display of forward power and territorial dominance.
Being 16-0 down at halftime, Kearsney had to dig deep to stage a fight back.; and with only 35 minutes remaining, fight is exactly what they did. Following a scrum on the half-way line, an accurate backline strike sparked their revival.
Dan Eager sliced through the Hilton defence, feeding the ball to Cameron Veenstra who raced for the corner. Desperate defence from Hilton kept Kearsney from a spectacular try. However, this was the momentum which the hosts needed.
Pressure on the ensuing Hilton lineout led to a turnover for Kearsney. Hammering away at Hilton’s goal line, tighthead prop Anele Cele stormed over with a powerful carry for Kearsney’s opening try. Eager slotted the conversion.
The next 15 minutes was all Kearsney, as Hilton had to repel wave after wave of attacks. As displayed all season, the visitors’defence held firm and, after absorbing all the pressure, they struck back with a powerful display of forward play, to take the wind out of Kearsney’s sails and the score to 23-7.
Kearsney immediately struck back with a try from the impact player off the bench, Sange Mdunyelwa. However, a penalty from the kick-off resulted in another opportunity for Hilton’s forwards to power over, taking the game out of reach.
The final whistle came as Kearsney was again throwing everything at Hilton on their try line. Hilton College was an excellent opponent and deserved victors, walking away with a 28-12 win.
