On June 22nd, the Pink Day Derby proved to be an exciting event for both St. John’s and St. Stithians. Hosted at St. John’s College in Houghton, the day featured competitive rugby matches across various age groups, with many close and evenly contested games.
The main event everyone eagerly anticipated was the 1st XV game. The match began with Saints quickly taking a 14-0 lead, scoring in the corner in the third minute and following up with a quick tap try by their flyhalf, Chris Anderson. St. John’s responded with Jacob Smith executing a well-planned move, making the score 14-5. Saints extended their lead to 17-5 with a penalty after 30 minutes of play. Just before halftime, Kago Masote scored for St. John’s, bringing the halftime score to 17-12 in favour of Saints.
Saints started the second half strongly, converting a penalty to lead 20-12. St. John’s then launched a series of attacks, culminating in Joshua Shannon scoring in the corner, narrowing the gap to 20-17 with 20 minutes remaining. In the 55th minute, Gerald Van Wyk attempted a penalty to tie the game but missed. Both teams continued to battle fiercely without any change in the scoreline until the 68th minute, when Jacob Smith picked up a loose ball and made a significant run, only to be stopped just short of the try line. Saints regained possession but conceded a penalty at the ruck, which Van Wyk won.
In the 70th minute, St. John’s camped in Saints’ 22m area and executed an 18-phase attack, with Van Wyk scoring the winning try and converting it, sealing a 24-20 victory for St. John’s. It proved to be memorable a Pink Day Derby this time for St John’s
This win capped off a successful season for St. John’s in 2024, by beating all the Saints on their fixture list. They played 15 games, winning 9, drawing 1, and losing 5, while amassing over 500 points. The coaches are proud of the players’ efforts this season, where hard work was rewarded with excellent performances and strong individual work ethics.
