Feverish Sevens sets perfect tone
Tshwete Games kick off with day of exciting action
CRACKING Sevens rugby action was in full swing at the BCM Stadium yesterday as the Steve Vukile Tshwete Games kicked off in style.
Regional teams from around the Eastern Cape were in action, battling it out for supremacy.
The rugby officially got under way on Tuesday night, with two games on show to entertain the crowd before the opening ceremony took place at the stadium.
The hosts were in action and it was a mixed bag as the BCM women’s team got their campaign going with a bang, running in eight tries to win 410, while the men stuttered out of the blocks going down 7-17, both teams against Sarah Baartman.
Yesterday then saw a full day of action with some big results at the start of the day.
The Chris Hani women’s team comfortably beat Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) 24-5, before thumping wins for the Amathole men over Alfred Nzo 42-0 and O R Tambo women over Joe Gqabi 47-0.
A good game was then played between NMB men and Chris Hani, where a number of big hits were witnessed, with one player left flat on his back, but was soon up after a moment to catch his breath.
NMB emerged as comfortable winners in the end, running in four tries to none for a 22-0 result.
The Amathole women then impressed in a good performance over Sarah Baartman.
Despite Sarah Bartmaan getting off to a solid start at the start of both halves, Amathole eventually kicked it up a notch to claim an emphatic 36-0 win, thanks to three tries in each half, with four coming from star player Sakhe Mxhalise, who showed impressive pace throughout the game.
“I am very happy with the performance today. Most of these players are beginners so this was a very good start for us,” said Amathole coach Mandla Makalima.
“They did exactly what I asked of them and I hope this gives them some good momentum, and hopefully we can take this into our next games.
“We are very happy to be here and the girls are really looking forward to the coming days.”
Following that match the closest game so far in the day was battled out, as Joe Gqabi men edged OR Tambo 17-10 in an exciting match.
The game started with a good vibe as the OR Tambo players were cheered onto the field by their fellow teammates.
Both teams then gave it their all but it was Joe Gqabi who emerged victorious after playing an impressive kicking game, trying cross-kicks, chips and grubbers to get in behind the OR Tambo players.
“I am very happy to start with a win, but a little disappointed the guys didn’t play fully as a team, but they promised to fix that in the next game,” said Joe Gqabi coach Akhona Thafeni.
“We have very fast players in the team, so we decided that the game plan was a kicking one and we can chase the ball down.
“It was a close result but we can hopefully build on this from here.”
Other results over the day saw BCM women beat Alfred Nzo on soft points, Amathole men edge Sarah Baartman 10-7, OR Tambo women thump NMB 44-7, BCM men beat Alfred Nzo 12-7, Chris Hani women cruise past Joe Gqabi 34-5, NMB men beat OR Tambo 23-0, Amathole women beat Alfred Nzo on soft points and Joe Gqabi men beat Chris Hani 17-5.
The action continues today the finals set for tomorrow. with