Selborne College made the most of their opportunities to secure a hard-fought 24-21 victory over St Andrew’s College in a gripping King Price Derby Series schools rugby clash KuGompo City on Saturday.
Holding a 17-9 advantage at halftime, Selborne produced the decisive moment of the match midway through the second half when centre Iviwe Kabale sliced through the St Andrew’s defence before deftly nudging a kick ahead for the flying Edward Malinzi to gather and score untouched.
Flyhalf Riley Hansel added the conversion to stretch the lead to 24-16 with just over 10 minutes remaining, giving the home side a cushion they would ultimately need.
St Andrew’s, however, refused to surrender and ensured a tense finish when left wing Qhawe Madikizela was released down the touchline to score their second try, reducing the deficit to just three points.
By the time play restarted, the clock had ticked past the 70-minute mark. Although there was still time for one final scrum, Selborne secured possession and kicked the ball into touch to seal a memorable victory between two evenly matched rivals.
After a frustrating first half in which they struggled at the lineout and lost too much of their own possession, St Andrew’s emerged after the break with far greater attacking intent and enjoyed a lengthy spell of territorial dominance.
Selborne, though, were resolute on defence and twice forced crucial turnovers with their opponents camped on their tryline. The pressure eventually told when hooker Ross Faber powered over for a try, keeping the visitors firmly in contention.
Earlier, it was the outstanding boot of fullback Will Stevens that kept St Andrew’s in touch. He landed three long-range penalties in the opening half, ensuring Selborne paid dearly for any indiscretion in their own territory.
The home side, meanwhile, looked dangerous whenever they attacked and opened the scoring when a scrum penalty earned them field position deep inside St Andrew’s territory. After a series of powerful drives, Ayden Freitag crossed for the opening try.
Selborne doubled their advantage in the 17th minute with a slick move down the right-hand side that caught the defence napping and allowed wing Zweletu Njoholo to finish in the corner.
Their third try came through industrious loose forward Travis Enslin, who was rewarded after another sustained charge by the forwards, helping Selborne establish the lead that ultimately proved enough to claim derby honours.
In Makhanda, Graeme College laid down an early marker and dominated throughout, running in seven tries for a convincing 45-7 victory over Stirling. Scrumhalf Luke Doyle led the charge with a hat-trick of tries.
Stirling had the final say when powerful lock Lungaka Cakata crashed over for a converted try late in the match.
The Herald
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