One of those came from a superb break by electric scrumhalf Lukho Mzingaye, who sliced through the defence before offloading to fullback Caleb Smith for a try near the posts.
That score arrived in the 34th minute, but in keeping with the pattern of the match, St Andrew’s had the final say before the break when prop Stuart Stern powered over for their fifth try, giving the hosts a 29-28 advantage at halftime.
While the scoring slowed somewhat in the second half, the intensity never dipped.
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Hudson Park produced one of their standout results of the season when they edged Dale College 27-26 in a thrilling schools rugby encounter at the Hudson grounds in KuGompo City on Saturday.
The home side were forced to withstand a fierce late comeback from their high-flying opponents, who scored two converted tries in the final five minutes to pile the pressure on after trailing 27-12.
The fightback began in the 65th minute when a charge-down of a Hudson clearance kick saw Dale No 8 Kungawo Jaca gather the final pass and outpace the defence for an excellent try.
Jaca had earlier been denied a score after a powerful run to the line, with the try ruled out following a high tackle. The incident resulted in a yellow card for Dale, compounding the visitors’ frustration.
Trailing 27-19, the Dalians refused to give up. They continued to probe the Hudson defence and struck again with a minute remaining when flank Liyabona Mayikana crossed in the corner.
With Sonwabise Dyani maintaining his accuracy from the kicking tee, the deficit was reduced to a single point. However, with only 30 seconds left on the clock following the restart, Dale were forced to launch one final attack from deep inside their own half.
Although Dale’s late rally fell agonisingly short, the visitors once again showed why they have been one of the most dangerous teams in the region this season
The visitors moved the ball effectively upfield, but a crucial knock-on handed Hudson a scrum. From there, the home side managed the closing stages expertly before kicking the ball into touch to seal a memorable victory.
The contest swung one way and then the other throughout.
Dale applied the early pressure but squandered a scoring opportunity when they knocked on while driving for the line. Hudson then opened the scoring in the 16th minute when centre Likho Gidi sliced through for a try.
Wing Cwenga Bityo enjoyed an excellent afternoon with the boot, converting the try and adding two more conversions and two penalties.
Dale responded in style when flyhalf Dyani burst through a gap for a superb individual try before the visitors took the lead through fullback Caleb Smith, who rounded the final defender to score under the poles.
However, Dale handed the initiative straight back when they failed to secure the kick-off. Hudson capitalised from the resulting scrum, with Masibulele Kwakwini crossing in the corner to give the hosts a 14-12 halftime lead.
Two early second-half penalties from Bityo extended Hudson’s advantage before flank Sisonke Majola powered over after sustained pressure to open up a commanding lead.
Although Dale’s late rally fell agonisingly short, the visitors once again showed why they have been one of the most dangerous teams in the region this season.
At Port Rex, Queen’s College produced a devastating second-half display to overpower the home side 58-14 after leading 22-14 at halftime.
The match appeared evenly balanced at the break, but Port Rex had no answer to the relentless Queen’s attack after the interval.
The visitors ran in 10 tries overall, with wing Ncutu Kepe claiming a hat-trick and hooker Nande Thiwani crossing twice as Queen’s turned a competitive contest into a one-sided affair.
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The teams exchanged tries, with Lihleli Makibi crossing for Dale after wing Yamkela Molose’s elusive running created the opening, while prop Entle Ngcaba replied for St Andrew’s to restore their slender one-point lead.
The decisive score came when Molose again showcased his attacking brilliance, breaking through the St Andrew’s defence to set up the opportunity. Flyhalf Sonwabise Dyani maintained his flawless record from the tee, landing his sixth successive conversion to stretch Dale’s lead to six points.
St Andrew’s fought courageously until the final whistle, but this was Dale’s day.
Graeme College beat brave Union High
At Somerset Field, Graeme College underlined their squad depth with a comfortable 51-10 victory over a brave Union High outfit.
These sides have shared many fiercely contested battles over the years, but on this occasion the Graemians took control from the outset. Three tries in the opening 17 minutes gave them a lead they would never relinquish.
Union slipped off too many tackles early on and, when Graeme’s dangerous backline senses an opportunity, it is ruthless. Selunathi Mfundisi, Torres Fourie, Elgin Fanton and Asakhe Ranuga were among those who punished any defensive lapses.
While Kingswood proved too strong for Port Rex, in Komani Queen’s College overcame some moments of anxiety with 19 minutes remaining to score a solid 40-22 victory in their school’s rugby clash against Hudson Park at the Rec ground on Saturday.
In Makhanda, home team Kingswood went on the rampage against the luckless Port Rex side, giving a polished performance to win 66-7. It was a tough week for Port Rex as they suffered a heavy defeat against Selborne last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Queen’s led 20-14 at the break but then had to watch as Hudson took control of the early part of the second half to give themselves a chance of victory as they scored nine points to lead 22-20 in the 51st minute.
Suddenly it did not seem all plain sailing for the Queenians, but they regrouped in admirable fashion a few minutes later to score from a rolling maul before hooker Nande Tiwani produced one of the highlights of the match when he found himself in space and sprinted about 30m for another try.
That took them to 34-22, providing some much-needed daylight for their supporters, and flyhalf Bongo Nyakaza then made it safe by kicking two more penalties to settle the final outcome.
Nyakaza, in fact, played an important role with his boot, slotting four conversions and four penalties for a personal tally of 20 points.
Other tries for Queen’s came from Zino Lali, Ncutu Kepe and Zimi Deleki.
Following an early try by scrumhalf Zizibele Mtongwana, Hudson crossed again in the 11th minute for one of the game’s best tries when big centre Athan Gravett went on a superb break to put Mtongwana in again for a score under the posts.
In the second half, wing Cwenga Bityo beat the cover defence for another good try, while he also added 10 points with the boot.
At Ooskus Gimnasium, Stirling came from behind with a late try to edge the home side 19-18, while other matches saw big wins for Selborne and Dale.
For Stirling, Iyazi Mbhele crossed for a hat-trick of tries.
In Qonce, Dale proved too strong for Cambridge, setting up their 59-7 win by jumping out to a 33-0 lead at halftime.
Union trailed 22-3 at halftime, with Qhama Solomon slotting a penalty in the 32nd minute, and were rewarded for their persistence in the second half when Sibabalwe Mbutye crossed for a try that Solomon converted.
Other results
In KuGompo City, Selborne applied similar pressure to the Stirling defence and raced to a commanding 52-0 halftime lead before cruising to an emphatic 85-7 victory.
A try in the third minute set the tone and, although Stirling battled gamely throughout, the pace and precision of Selborne’s play proved overwhelming.
Flank Travis Enslin and wing Zwelethu Njoholo each scored four tries, while lively scrumhalf Connor Fowles added a brace as Selborne crossed the line 13 times.
Grit and determination were the deciding factor as Dale edged Selborne 31-27, with the Dale Reunion Weekend clash being decided in the last minutes at the Qonce school’s A-field graveyard on Saturday.
The match seemed destined to swing in Dale’s favour, as not only was the school at home, but the atmosphere was boisterous all throughout with chants and amagwijo from the local pupils, supporters, and old boys.
The victory was seen as nothing less than the perfect way to cap off the school’s 165th anniversary.
Although the Qonce script was for Dale to win, the school was rocked by an early try from KuGompo City’s Selborne in the first three minutes of the game.
The kick for two points was missed, and ultimately the failure to convert tries was what cost Selborne. They also failed to convert their second try.
This allowed for Dale to rack up points as Selborne dropped theirs, and as the cheers from the supporters grew louder, so did the belief for the team in red and black.
Dale went into the halftime break with a sense of belief that it might be their day at 17-10.
However, two quick tries in the second half proved that the game was far from over.
In that final stretch, where winners are determined through their grit and resilience, spectators had to remain on their feet, all holding hands as no one knew which way the game would swing.
Knock-ons and clumsy fouls cost the teams at times, just as they would be close to dotting down.
Despite the high drama at the end, it was Selborne’s inability to convert tries which saw Dale hold on to secure a dramatic, yet thrilling, four-point win.
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Stirling’s spirit was evident in the closing moments. Despite the lopsided scoreline, they mounted one final attack and were rewarded when powerful No 8 Joshua Pickering charged forward from a quick tap, carrying several defenders over the line with him. Hlombe Dlani added the conversion.
In other action, Hudson Park were made to work hard before overcoming Port Rex 22-15, while Kingswood proved too strong for Woodridge, recording a convincing 48-7 victory.
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