Both sides started the match win one clear intent and that is to spread the ball wide whenever possible. Monnas having the better in the early part of the game using their big men to punch holes in the defence of KES. KES' defence or rather lack thereof saw Monnas take an early lead of 12-0 within 12 minutes. After the initial powerhouse performance of Monnas, the boys from KES clawed their way back into the game and started to make Monnas defend for their lives. Just before halftime Monnas scored their third try of the match giving them a 17-3 lead at halftime that some spectators thought would be more than enough.
The second half was all KES with Monnas defending like demons. Here the names of Kwagga and Pot from Monnas must be mentioned as these two boys were making one big hit after another halting the red wave threatening to score on several occasions. At the back, all Monnas boys were up to every challenge KES could throw at them but Dandre Prinsloo #15 made 3 try saving tackles that must be mentioned. KES was maybe unlucky to not score the winning try at the end but maybe it was rather Monnas's defence that stopped KES from scoring.
To sum up KES with Keegan Glade at the tight head to strong for Monnas, lineouts 49%-51% to KES but their advantage here cost them as Travis Gordon's efforts in the lineouts prevented him from doing what we expect from him as a number 8. A try their supporters claimed was scored was disallowed by the referee for both teams in the second half. All said and done this game certainly produced all that was expected and it was a very tired group of boys who left all they had on the pitch.
The referee who is a parent of a Monnas u/16 rugby player was blamed by both sides for mistakes made, but a gentleman who sat next to me summed it fairly accurate up with a remark in the second half and I quote "listen to the KES Old Boys and Monnas supporters who are both shouting remarks at the ref for making an error simultaneously after only one of his rulings."
Scorers:
Monnas: 24(17) Tries: Linders, Brandon, Le Roux, Schutte. Conversions: Viljoen (2).
KES 19(3): Try: Robertson. Penalties: Kennedy Mpeku (4) Conversion: Mpeku