St Andrew’s College arrived looking to pull off a smash-and-grab victory, but Queen’s College held firm under immense pressure to claim a thrilling 15-14 win in their King Price Derby Series schools rugby clash on the Rec field in Komani on Saturday.
The match had all the hallmarks of a contest destined to go down to the wire, and the players delivered in spectacular fashion as both teams displayed tremendous courage and commitment throughout the 70 minutes to produce another Eastern Cape schools rugby classic.
In the end, it was Queen’s who prevailed. Despite being reduced to 14 men twice through yellow cards, the hosts showed immense resilience to repel wave after wave of St Andrew’s attacks in the closing stages and secure a memorable victory.
St Andrew’s will be disappointed that they were unable to capitalise on several promising opportunities, particularly when they applied sustained pressure near the Queen’s tryline.
Just before halftime, trailing 12-7, they were awarded two penalties inside the Queen’s 22. After kicking to touch from the first, they opted for a tap penalty following the ensuing lineout, only to knock the ball on and allow Queen’s to escape. The hosts took their five-point advantage into the break.
Queen’s were first to score in the second half when flyhalf Bongo Nyakaza slotted a penalty in the 44th minute to extend the lead to 15-7.
Although St Andrew’s enjoyed lengthy periods of possession and territory in the Queen’s half, they found it difficult to breach the determined home defence. Their task became even tougher when influential lock Josh van Zyl was forced from the field.
The visitors eventually narrowed the gap with 10 minutes remaining when centre Avu Bangazi spotted a half-gap, accelerated through it and powered over for a crucial try.
Will Stevens added the conversion to reduce the deficit to a single point at 15-14, and although St Andrew’s dominated territory for much of the remaining time, Queen’s trusted their defensive systems and held out to seal the win.
Earlier, Queen’s wing Ncutu Kepe showcased his elusive footwork when St Andrew’s afforded him too much space. He danced through the defence for the opening try after 14 minutes, with Nyakaza adding the conversion.
St Andrew’s responded when wing Qhawe Madikizela produced a powerful run down the left touchline before offloading as he was brought down. Stevens gathered the ball and crossed for the try before converting to level matters at 7-7.
The game continued to ebb and flow before Queen’s regained the advantage through right wing Sinqobile Xhentsa, who crossed for their second try. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
While St Andrew’s attacked with energy and intent throughout, their efforts were ultimately blunted by a stubborn and courageous Queen’s defensive effort that proved decisive.
Daily Dispatch
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