Overview Sporting Achievements:
It could not have been a happier ending to Maritzburg College’s 2023 Reunion Day celebrations – a very convincing 27-8 win for the 1st XV against rivals Westville Boys’ High. The added bonus of a clean sweep of rugby results against Westville; 20 wins from 21 games and one draw, ensured the celebrations were even greater. The hockey matches against Westville were a different story with a number of very closely fought contests; College winning seven of their 15 matches, drawing four and losing four. The Red Army 1st XI played to a packed crowd of a supporters on Pape’s Astro in a nailbiting match that ended with a 2-2 draw.
Rugby:
A total of 26 rugby teams played their hearts out on Reunion Day, in the main against Westville Boys’ High. Wanting to get every team a game for Reunion, there were a few filler matches against Michaelhouse, Linpark and Northwood. College won 22 of their matches, and were undefeated in all the Westville matches with 20 wins and one draw.
1st XV match report (Tim Orchard, Coach)
Reunion Day is usually a day that where the occasion gets the better of the home team, but not this weekend. College started strongly, taking the game to their opponents and dominating the collisions early on. With a 4000+ crowd in attendance, the atmosphere was a hostile one for our visitors from Westville who visibly wilted as the game progressed through a combination of intense carries and bone crunching tackles.
Maritzburg College started the brightest of the two teams with captain Sasha Kadira scoring a wonderful set-piece try from the back of the scrum to put the hosts ahead with an early lead. The first half was all College as Westville could barely get out of their own half. This dominance by the home side was further increased when scrumhalf Rhett Quin scampered across the try line to further increase the host’s lead. The home team was very wasteful in possession, and had the ball turned over numerous times with the try line beckoning. Westville did gain some traction when they scored a try and kicked a penalty late in the half to make the score 17-8 to the home side.
The second half started very much in the same manner as the first with College dominating proceedings from the outset but could not convert this dominance into points. The dam wall eventually burst when Sasha Kadira eventually finished a well worked rolling maul to extend the lead further. Kudos to Westville who doggedly hung in there and prevented College from running away with the game, with some resolute defending at times. College however, had the final say in proceedings when speedster Colm Reardon finished off a well worked try to score, much to the delight of his peers, in front of the school sending the school into raptures allowing for the bashers to be flung for one last time during the game. This put the score at 29-8 and the wider College community could breathe a sigh of relief, as this was the first Reunion Day victory since 2017.
Maritzburg College 28 Tries: S. Kadira x2, R. Quin and C. Reardon Conversion: L du Toit x1 Penalty: L du Toit x1
Westville 8
Hockey:
College fielded 15 hockey teams against Westville, winning seven matches, drawing four and losing four.
1st XI match report (Mr Kyle Emerson – 1st XI coach)
It is always exciting playing on Reunion Day and the bigger crowds encourage more excitement and a greater desire to win. College asserted their dominance on the game early on and created many opportunities in the first quarter. Their ability to move the ball around the Westville press allowed many circle entries. Westville struggled to get out of their own half whilst the College press pushed them back into their half and turned over lots of ball. Asanda Khumalo would open the scoring with a brilliant drag flick into the net of the goal. College were unable to double their lead with two more opportunities but Westville then evened the score after they turned the ball over high in the field and a quick counter-attack allowed them to roll the ball into the goal. A few minutes later, after a good passage of play down the left-hand side of the field, College entered the circle and Julian Konigkramer was able to show great composure and flick the ball past the goalkeeper form about 10 yards out. The 2nd and 3rd quarters were tactical battles, as Westville started to press higher and did not allow College to move the ball as easily in the first half.
Westville evened the scoring once again after a ball was hit into the circle, and after the first save from Nic Holmes, it fell to a Westville forward who pushed it into the goal. Nic Holmes would make a good save off Westville’s only penalty corner. Siviwe Sithembu was unlucky not to find the goal when he was positioned at the back post and the ball found him, but he was unable to redirect the ball goalwards, only finding the outside of the goal.
With twenty seconds to go, College had a hit 5 metres out from the Westville circle. It was turned over and allowed Westville to launch a quick counterattack, and Nic Holmes pulled off a brilliant save to keep the score even in the dying seconds. The match ended as a 2-2 draw, with both teams probably feeling like they could have won the game. A good spectacle of schoolboy hockey as both teams played with structure and good tactical awareness.
Sports report compiled by Maritzburg College.