Brandwag made to work by Bergsig
In a virtual carbon copy of their clash a year ago, Brandwag were pushed to the limits by Bergsig in their schools rugby encounter at Bergsig on Saturday, finally winning 20-18.
Last year, Brandwag won 21-19 at home and Bergsig again showed that they are a team to be reckoned with.
In a fiercely contested match, Brandwag’s pack used their power to carry the ball forward and that was arguably the decisive factor on the day.
Bergsig’s backline always looked dangerous when on attack and Brandwag’s discipline at times let them down, leading to periods when their opponents dominated possession.
The home team, however, also conceded several penalties through ill-discipline, which allowed Brandwag to sneak the win.
Players who excelled for Bergsig were No 8 and captain Chris Tshambu, lock Tyrese Brouers and fullback Luciano Cowie.
Brandwag loosehead prop and vice-captain Dandré van Jaarsveld had a blinder, as did scrumhalf Lu-crain Muggels and centre Jamiane Dampies.
His midfield partner, Godwin Fillis, was also dangerous on attack.
Tries for Bergsig came from wing Mfundo Belu and flank Allisandro Louw, with flyhalf Edwill Jantjies kicking two penalties and a conversion.
Brandwag scored tries by hooker Eu-lynne Williams and prop Van Jaarsveld, complemented by two penalties and two conversions by Muggels.
Graeme College turned a three-point lead at halftime into a solid 23-12 win over the competitive Nico Malan outfit in their clash in Makhanda.
The home team missed a few opportunities in the first half which could have provided a bigger advantage than the 10-7 margin they took into the second half.
However, they produced a controlled second half with some fine play by forwards and backs to score three tries in this period to make sure of victory.
Their tries were scored by Abongile Golela, who crossed the line twice, Soso Sizani and AC Mnandi. Ashton Williams added a penalty.
Cillie battled back from 17-0 down at halftime to give a good account of themselves before losing 17-11 to Knysna High School in Knysna.
The home side opened the scoring with a try by centre Dean Brown, converted by flyhalf Lionel Davis.
They went further ahead with a penalty by Davis and continued to dictate the scoreboard margin when No 8 Shaun Plaatjies was the tryscorer.
Davis continued to enjoy a good game off the kicking tee, adding the conversion for the halftime lead .
Cillie immediately got back into the match when play resumed, with flyhalf Lluwayne Koopman slotting a penalty.
Then came one of the best moves of the match, which ended up with Cillie’s Ricky Perries crossing in the corner to make it 17-8.
Koopman closed the gap further with his second penalty, but Knysna were able to keep their opponents at bay for the rest of the game.
Try-scorers Brown and Plaatjies, as well as lock Gavin Putter, stood out for Knysna, while hooker Niel Suddon, prop Vincent Qashani, Koopman and Perries all worked hard to keep Cillie in the match.
Kingswood proved too strong for Port Rex in their clash in East London, romping to a 59-15 win after leading 285 at the break.