Kearsney 1stXV Start 2025 Season With A Bang Against Clifton 1stXV

 

Saturday saw Kearsney beat Clifton 50-00 in the first rugby fixture of the season, following several days of extremely heavy rain.

Kearsney vice-captain Doan Nel put his team ahead in the seventh minute of the game, after some excellent defence from the hosts.

Another good defensive effort by Kearsney pressured Clifton to boot the ball downfield, for Bukho Hlwatika to counterattack, and put Nhlanhla Ndlovu into space to score in the 14th minute. A 5m attacking lineout saw Kearsney score again in the 23rd minute, with a well-orchestrated drive.

The first half finished in style with a 100m counter-attack after a missed penalty attempt by Clifton; to take the half-time score to 24-0.

The second half could not have started better for the hosts, with a phenomenal try by Hlwatika after a clean line-break by Ollie Ludwig from the kickoff.

Lwandle Mkize was next to score after Ludwig stole a Clifton lineout. Some slick handling by a mixture of the forwards and backs saw Mkize diving into the corner, much to the delight of Kearsney’s supporters. Another lineout drive in the 62nd minute saw Kearsney over the line again.

The game finished in the most spectacular style with an individual try by Lwazi Mbebe who stepped his way through half the Clifton team, to score almost under the poles.

The final score was 50-0 to Kearsney, who scored seven tries in total.