HOERSKOOL ZWARTKOP 41-32 HOERSKOOL DR EG JANSEN
With barely a minute played, Zwartkop opened the scoring against Dr EG Jansen in Saturday’s third KERF clash on Stott Field, when flank Luan Wepener forced his way over after some fluent play from the Pretoria side.
Scrumhalf Ruvan Burger slotted the conversion to make it 7-0. It looked easy, but the boys in white soon found themselves under the pump.
Jansies responded by taking the game to Zwarries with good ball retention, which brought them a penalty just outside the 22. They kicked to touch. When Burger was too enthusiastic in defence, taking out his opposite number early, he was shown a yellow card. EG Jansen then profited by driving over hooker Rayzandu van Wyngaard for an eighth-minute try.
Zwartkop earned a couple of kickable penalties in quick succession, but chose attacking lineouts instead, which failed to produce a reward.
Centre Dian Botha made them pay when he forced his way over from close range, and Renaldo October added a tidy conversion to put Jansies 12-7 ahead.
Since Zwartkop’s opening score, the momentum had belonged mostly to EG Jansen, who dented the Zwarries’ defensive line with physical carries. That brought them a third try in the 20th minute when wing Jordan van der Westhuizen spun in a tackle and crashed down in the left-hand corner.
It appeared that the exertions of Zwartkop’s hugely physical clash with DHS on Thursday had taken a toll, but there was still plenty of time to go, and they finally began to put some phases together.
A mini-break by Stiaan Botha took them deep inside the EG Jansen 22, where they won a put-in in front of the uprights. From there, a long pass, wide to the right, skipped kindly off the ground for Botha, allowing him to outflank the EG Jansen defence, and he scampered over for a try. Burger’s conversion attempt was true, and only three points separated the sides.
With time up in the first half, October knocked over a penalty to make it 20-14 to Dr EG Jansen at the break.
Zwartkop made some changes at halftime, and two of the newly introduced players, Tilon Baron and David van Jaarsveld, were involved in putting Waylin Papier over for an early try, converted by Baron. That put the Pretoria side one point ahead.
Van Jaarsveld then broke two tackles to power over in the right-hand corner. His introduction had galvanised Zwartkop, and they displayed better energy and cohesion.
EG Jansen struck next from a high-up-and-under, which resulted in right-wing Werner Breydenbach claiming a 50/50 ball before putting flank Jaco Engelbrecht through to score. October added a conversion, and Jansies led
Breydenbach’s excellent form under the high ball brought him a try with 15 minutes remaining. This time, he gathered after outjumping a Zwarries’ defender and provided the finish himself.
The advantage in a roller-coaster ride of a contest swung back Zwartkop’s way when EG Jansen prevented a certain score by dragging down a maul, and the referee awarded a penalty try.
Then, coach David Gouws’s charges struck again when, after fielding a clearing kick on the left-hand touchline, they outflanked EG Jansen on the right, with Dian du Plooy being sent clear to score Zwarries’ sixth try.
The Pretoria side bolstered their advantage to nine points, at 41-32, with a Tilon Baron penalty after the flyhalf’s clever tactical kick put Jansies on the defensive and David van Jaarsveld forced a defender into holding onto possession while on the ground.
The tiredness that showed in the Zwartkop ranks early in the game appeared to have evaporated, and, with committed defence, they closed out the game and recorded a hard-fought victory.
Scorers
Zwartkop 41 (14): Tries: Luan Wepener, Stiaan Botha, Waylin Papier, David van Jaarsveld, penalty try, Dian du Plooy. Conversions: Ruvan Burger (2), Tilon Baron. Penalty: Tilon Baron
EG Jansen 32 (20): Tries; Rayzandu van Wyngaard, Dian Botha, Jordan van der Westhuizen, Jaco Engelbrecht, Werner Breydenbach. Conversions: Renaldo October (2). Penalty: Renaldo October
Photographer Gabrielle Swanepoel
