Hudson stop dangerous Dale side in their tracks

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Hudson Park put together one of their most complete performances of the season to oust Gqeberha rivals Framesby 43-26, while there were also solid wins for Dale and Selborne in schools rugby matches over the last week. In a match played under lights last Wednesday, Selborne held too many guns for a spirited Ooskus Gymnasium team, winning 72-15, while Dale outplayed Port Rex 54-24 on Thursday. The match-up at Hudson Park saw the home forwards clash head-on with the physicality of the Framesby pack as the teams produced a cracking affair. After swopping early tries, Hudson began to exert more control up front and this allowed them to provide a steady stream of clean possession for their backs to execute the moves they had set up in training. Although the home side battled with their discipline at certain stages in the match, they continued to show great character in defence, which made it difficult for Framesby to find the penetration needed to score points. In the end, it all came together on the day for Hudson to score a hard-earned victory against difficult opponents. On Wednesday evening, Ooskus Gymnasium never gave up the fight against Selborne and scored two tries in the second half by Kwagga Liebenberg and Tiaan Frazer to give their supporters something to cheer about. However, by that stage Selborne had a firm grip on proceedings and led 36-3 at halftime, adding a further 36 points in the second period. Flank Lwandle Bacela led the way with a hat-trick of tries and centre Daniel van Biljon crossed twice as the home team ran in 12 tries, with Riley Hansel slotting six conversions. For Ooskus, Ethan Jansen added a penalty and a conversion. Thrilling finish Meanwhile, in Kariega, in a result that was in the balance until the final whistle, Daniel Pienaar held on in a thrilling finish to their Tinara Cup game against Brandwag to win 23-22. The match was tightly contested throughout, with the Tigers kicking three penalties by Corbelle Claasen and being awarded a penalty try to trail 17-16 at halftime. They then took a crucial lead with a converted try by Stiaan Coertze early in the second half (23-17) during a half in which both sides battled for supremacy. Eventually, it was Brandwag who broke the deadlock when the Tigers lost possession and scrumhalf Zanick Carolus ran 50m before unloading to fullback Rezanio Petrus for a try to make it a one-point game. However, the conversion went past the upright and although there were still 18 minutes left, Daniel Pienaar threw everything into defence to keep their Kariega rivals at bay. For Brandwag, Josh Badenhorst, Carolus and Luan Greeff crossed for tries in the first half. In Gqeberha, Pearson and KES, from Johannesburg, had a ding-dong battle and eventually had to settle for a 15-15 draw. The home side made the early running through a penalty by Keano Beling and a chase from a kick ahead which saw fullback Henrico Ferreira dot down to make it 8-0. KES hit back a minute before halftime when Kristian Sheahan barged over from close range, with Connor Fourie adding the conversion to make it 8-7 at the break. Fourie then goaled a penalty to give KES the lead before a grubber through the visiting defence saw No 8 Liya Maswana latch onto the ball for Pearson’s second try, converted by Beling (15-10). In a period reflecting the nature of the match, both sides had their chances before KES crossed for a second try, by Diego Afonso, to level the score, and that’s how it stayed until the end. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

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.

Grey High used the cohesion of their pack to grind out a tough 34-12 win over Glenwood in difficult conditions on the second and final day of the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival on the Kolisi Field in Gqeberha on Monday. With a powerful westerly wind blowing down the field, neither side were able to produce the sort of running rugby for which they are known and, in the end, it was the home side who managed the conditions better as they transformed a 17-5 halftime lead into the final victory. After scoring three tries in the first half, they were able to starve their KwaZulu-Natal rivals of possession in the second period, when the visitors had the wind at their backs and a chance to dominate the territory stakes. Instead, Grey employed a strong driving maul to send over Adam Fourie and Christopher Vosloo late in the game to put the final nails in the Glenwood coffin. Earlier in the half, scrumhalf Ryan Swarbrick delivered the Durban side a big blow when he took the ball from a maul about 20 metres out and darted through a gap to beat the cover defence for a brilliant try. That made it 22-5 and though fullback Rosco Williams crossed for a wonderful effort after a breakout from the halfway line, Glenwood could not penetrate the solid Grey defence easily. In the first half, flank Cole Bennett scored twice and wing Noah Mbizi once, all through driving mauls. Earlier, in one of the comebacks of the day, SACS sent shockwaves through the Kearsney camp to snatch victory with three tries late in the game. The KwaZulu-Natal side looked to have things under control when they led 27-14 going into the final quarter. But SACS had the strong wind at their backs and by keeping Kearsney deep in their own half they managed to force their way over for two tries to reshape the game as they edged into a one-point lead. For good measure, they added one more try to finish the match 33-27 ahead, leaving Kearsney to ponder what might have been at this festival after they lost to Graeme College by two points on Saturday. The Graemians and Parel Vallei finished the festival on a high with wins over St Charles College and Hudson Park respectively. Playing into the stiff breeze, Graeme were outstanding in the first half, led by elusive centre and captain Erin Nelson, as they piled on 29 points by the break, with St Charles scoring just one try. Nelson produced the try of the game as he showed why it is so dangerous to give him a hint of space, sprinting 50 metres to cross the whitewash. Other tries came from Selunathi Mfundisi, Luke Doyle and Asakhe Ranuga, while St Charles scored through Bongi Nkosi. Graeme did not maintain the same momentum after the break and St Charles came back with two good tries before the Makhanda team found some control again near the end to cross for two more tries to make it a decisive win. Parel Vallei got ahead against Hudson Park and stayed there to win 28-15, while Kingswood turned on the power to outgun St Stithians 38-20. Michaelhouse bounced back from their loss to Grey High to defeat St Andrew’s 41-5 and Drostdy had too much class for Selborne, winning 67-12. In the final match of the festival, Rondebosch beat KES 29-12. Day two results: Pearson 57 Mzwandile Mali XV 12 Kingswood 38 St Stithians 20 Parel Vallei 28 Hudson Park 15 SACS 33 Kearsney 27 Graeme 43 St Charles 17 Michaelhouse 41 St Andrew’s 5 Drostdy 67 Selborne 12 Grey High 34 Glenwood 12 Rondebosch 29 KES 12 Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

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.

Hudson Park were pushed hard by Cambridge for large parts of their schools rugby clash at Hudson on Saturday before establishing their supremacy in the second half to transform a 10-7 halftime deficit into a 36-12 victory. Using the tactic of turning their opponents with contestable kicks in the first half, Cambridge stayed in the game and showed their intent by crossing for the first try through Sivuyise Salman as they capitalised on a Hudson error. They were able to add a second try by Sibabalwe Salman after a breakout from their own 22 by Teagan Hardnick, but Hudson gradually began to impose themselves on the game. Keeping the ball in hand, they forced Cambridge onto the defensive and this allowed them to find their rhythm as they finally ran out as convincing winners. In Gqeberha, Pearson made it a match to remember in their 100th anniversary year when they registered a rare win over a tough Selborne College outfit in their clash on the Hannes Strydom Field at Pearson on Saturday. It was a game of missed chances for the visitors, who did not have the precision to finish off some moves close to their opponents’ line. Pearson, however, must take full credit for a committed defence, which saw them register their fourth straight victory this year. In contrast, their ability to attack when deep in Selborne territory paid off handsomely as they won 22-5 after leading 15-5 at the break. The East London team were first to cross the whitewash when Iviwe Kabale scored a try in the corner, only for Pearson to bounce back soon afterwards when some classy distribution in the backline saw big centre Henrico Ferreira dummy his way through the defence to crash over. Pearson underlined their determination to build pressure when they took the lead (8-5) through a penalty by Keano Beling. Then came a flash of quick thinking by nuggety scrumhalf Kadin Kretzmann, when he took a tap from a five-metre penalty and darted over for a crucial score five minutes before half-time. Beling added the conversion to make it 15-5. It was followed by a period when Selborne should have capitalised, camping on the Pearson line for several minutes before the break, but being unable to get through. In the second half, the visitors continued to challenge the Pearson defence, especially when the home side were down to 13 men through two yellow cards at one stage. But commitment in the tackle and a few Selborne errors — they were over the line twice but the referee ruled knock-ons — saw Pearson hold out. Eventually Pearson put further space between the two sides when flank Henrico Bodenstein charged through for a try under the posts that virtually sealed the victory with just over 10 minutes remaining. The in-form Graeme College side continued to impress, with a runaway victory against Port Rex in East London, with wing Asakhe Ranuga scoring a hat-trick as they crossed for eight tries overall. The Graemians set the tone early on by scoring from the first play of the game and, while Port Rex were full of fight throughout, they were unable to contain the slick running of the visiting team. Graeme led 24-10 at the break. At Stirling, Queen’s produced a solid performance to defeat the home side 27-17. Daily Dispatch

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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