KEARSNEY COLLEGE 22-19 HOERSKOOL ZWARTKOP
Kearsney College put their unbeaten Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival on the line against Hoërskool Zwartkop on Monday afternoon in the final match after an entertaining three days of rugby. It brought together two of the event’s most exciting sides.
Zwarries struck first, hitting the front in the third minute when their big loosehead prop Matthew Smith crashed over from a rolling maul. Flyhalf Tilon Baron bisected the uprights with the conversion kick, and the Pretoria side led 7-0.
Just as quickly, Kearsney sounded a warning with a sharp counterattack off a clearance kick, which almost put right-wing Luke Grobbelaar in the clear.
After a cracking contest between DHS and Helpmekaar, the electricity that lit up that showdown remained in the air.
When Baron put left-wing Stiaan Botha in space, he wriggled out of a tackle and then cut inside to wrongfoot two defenders, which took him over for Zwartkop’s second try after nine minutes. Another successful Baron conversion made it 14-0, putting the One-Stripe into a hole from which they hadn’t yet had to fight their way. It would be a test of their character.
They made a first step towards hauling in Zwartkop by driving their captain, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, over the line from a lineout with seven minutes to play in the first half, and Daniel Miskey converted the kick comfortably to make it 14-7.
Ndlovu led a breakout soon after, but a decision to break inside took him away from his support, and Zwarries stopped the dangerous counterattack.
Kearsney thought they were in for another try with only seconds remaining in the half, but a scintillating attack was halted by a blow of the referee’s whistle. He ruled a pass had gone forward, and Zwartkop breathed a sigh of relief.
Within three minutes of the restart, Ndlovu was over again. Kearsney’s pack put Zwartkop in reverse before the One-Stripe captain broke loose and forced his way over with a bit of help from his friends.
Daniel Miskey’s conversion attempt struck the left upright but bounced over the crossbar, drawing a roar of approval from the home supporters.
Almost immediately, Zwartkop threatened to retake the lead, but a rock-solid tackle by the last defender, Miskey, saved Kearsney.
Left-wing Lwandle Mkhize and Zwartkop captain David van Jaarsveld were then involved in a desperate race for a ball kicked over the Zwartkop try line. Under pressure, Mkhize knocked on, and the Pretoria team was able to escape their line.
Eight minutes into the second stanza, Kearsney hit the front. Ndlovu could have easily crossed for his hat-trick, but he, unselfishly, fed Mkhize the ball, and he trotted over for the-five pointer. Miskey hit the left upright again, this time the ball stayed out. The hosts led 19-14.
Zwartkop’s superb fighting spirit took them back onto the attack, and once more Kearsney was under pressure. They came close, though, to scoring a trademark long-range try, but Lwandle Mkhize was scragged as he arched his back to escape a covering tackle.
All credit to both teams. There was no let-up. It was a blow-for-blow, lung-busting slugfest, with neither willing to give an inch.
Zwartkop had a chance to strike back from a five-metre lineout, but they coughed up the ball with the whitewash beckoning, and Kearsney had a scrum feed.
With just over 10 minutes left on the clock, fullback Lwazi Mbebe was set loose on the left, but his pass to Lwandle Mkhize, which would have put the left wing in for another try, was misdirected, and Zwartkop survived a potentially devastating blow. Another near-miss soon followed.
Miskey almost took Kearsney eight points clear with a drop kick, but his effort passed just left of the posts. The home side was playing with fire by not converting their opportunities.
Incredibly, though, Miskey, with ice in his veins, landed a drop goal from 45 metres to take coach Grant Bashford’s boys more than a converted try clear.
With time up, Zwartkop launched one last assault from a five-metre lineout. With forwards and backs pushing together, Jurie Janse van Rensburg scored the last try of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival.
Kearsney College won 22-19 and achieved their goal of an unbeaten festival record. Zwartkop, meanwhile, announced themselves as a seriously good rugby side on one of South Africa’s most prominent rugby stages.
Scores
Kearsney 22 (7) – Tries: Nhlanhla Ndlovu (2), Lwandle Mkhize. Conversion: Daniel Miskey (2). Drop goal: Daniel Miskey
Zwartkop 19 (14) – Tries: Matthew Smith, Stiaan Botha, Jurie Janse van Rensburg. Conversions: Tilon Baron (2)
Photographer: Gabrielle Swanepoel