Rhodes Rebels draw to Navy

The Rhodes University Rebels rugby side went up against the touring South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Navy last Friday as part of the Navy side’s tour of the Eastern Cape. Kick-off took place on a cold evening under lights at the Oval.

SANDF ended off their three game tour of Grahamstown with a 7-7 draw against a combined community team headed by several Rhodes Varsity Shield players under the team name Rhodes Rebels.

The Navy came out firing from the opening whistle, however the cold conditions made for some early handling errors.

Both teams struggled in the early stages to string attacking phases together.

The Navy dominated the physical encounters of the game, however failed to capitalise on their dominance with points on the board.

Discipline cost both sides in the first half, as any attacking advantage gained by either side was halted by the ref- eree’s whistle. Late in the first half, the Navy were camping on the Rebels’ 5m line; however they knocked the ball on, and the half ended 0-0.

The stop-start nature of the match continued in the second half, as neither team managed to build many attacking phases.

The Navy finally opened up the scoring in the second half through Johann Scholtz out wide. Ruan Booysens converted and the Navy took a late 0-7 lead.

The Rebels bounced back a couple of minutes later, however, through a crash over the line by Uzu Nyanda. Vuyo Sigingqi, the Rebels’ captain, converted to draw level at 7-7. The game finished on a rather anti-climactic note, as the ball was knocked on in mid-field. The match ended as a 7-7 draw.

The Rhodes Rebels were formed by several Rhodes rugby players, including 12 players preparing for the 2017 Varsity Shield, several Grahamstown Brumbies and other local team players.

The team was constructed during the week for the purpose of playing the Navy in the last game of their tour.

The SANDF Navy team had enjoyed a week-long, threegame tour of Grahamstown. The last two matches played by the Navy saw them defeat Swallows 15-17, and lose to the Brumbies 26-20.

Despite the disappointing draw on Friday, Mario Williams, Chairman of SANDF Navy Rugby club, said that the team had enjoyed their time in Grahamstown.

“The people of Grahamstown were very friendly… the hospitality we received was great,” Williams said.

The Navy were housed at 6 SA Infantry Battalion army base for the duration of the tour. From here, the Navy side returned to their base in the Western Cape on Saturday. Scorers: Rhodes Rebels: Tries: Uzu Nyanda Conversions: Vuyo Sigingqi SANDF Navy: Tries: Johann Scholtz Conversions: Ruan Booyens