RU Rugby seeks first win
On Monday 13 February, Rhodes Rugby kicked off their first home match of the Varsity Shield against Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Conditions around Rhodes Great Field were cold and wet, setting the scene for an exciting game of rugby.
Rhodes Rugby came into the match after a narrow 1612 defeat to Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria, due to a try by TUT in the final moments of the game.
The weather proved to be a factor early on, as handling errors were numerous in the opening few minutes. CPUT’s poor discipline resulted in Mike Steele slotting over a penalty halfway through the first half to take a 2-0 lead.
CPUT began applying severe pressure in the late stages of the first half; however, Rhodes defence remained strong.
With two minutes left on the clock, Steele lined up another penalty, but failed to convert. Rhodes managed to hold on to their two-point lead at half time.
The rain and wind picked up as the second half kicked off. The first try of the match came in the 45th minute, when Okuhle Fumba crossed the line for Rhodes after a kick chase in CPUT’s 22m. Steele converted to take Rhodes to a 10-0 lead.
Midway through the second half, CPUT continued to attack the Rhodes try line; however Rhodes’s defence remained solid under pressure. Their defence finally broke in the 54th minute, as CPUT Malan Roode crossed over in the corner. Randy Brinkhuis failed to convert, and the score went to Rhodes 10-5.
With 10 minutes to go, CPUT continued to attack inside the Rhodes 22m. Several scrums as a result of the weather put even more pressure on the Rhodes defence. CPUT failed to capitalise on the pressure, as a near certain try was ruled out due to an offside call.
After continued pressure, the Rhodes line finally cracked for the second time, and CPUT's Shaurick Blom went over close to the posts.
Brinkhuis converted and CPUT managed to muscle out a 12-10 victory over the home side. Rhodes Coach Qondakele Sompondo said after the game, “I am very proud of the effort. I think the boys put together another show.
“For two weeks in a row now, they put together a solid performance, but just released the pressure at very critical moments of the game.”
Sompondo believes that Rhodes’s recent disappointing losses in the final minutes of the game can be boiled down to game management and experience, and he believes that over the next two weeks they will begin to learn how to close out big games.
Rhodes received a consolation prize, however, as the Player that Rocks was named as Rhodes Scrumhalf, Yalusa Nodada. “You are not going to get the Player that Rocks from a losing side: it tells you that you were the better team on the day,” Sompondo said.
Rhodes Rugby’s next match is against the University of the Western Cape (UWC) away, and Sompondo believes that if his team can manage to build on the previous two matches, they can close out a decent win away.
Sompondo will work on game management in the week leading up to the UWC derby.
“I think fitness is overplayed a bit,” Sompondo said, as he feels that his team is now fit enough for the full 80, but lacks the experience at Varsity Shield level.
Rhodes Rugby will also be working on their mental preparation, and learning how to keep calm in the final minutes of the match when under severe pressure.
“A player like Jono [Braans] would thrive in such a circumstance,” Sompondo said, suggesting that his leadership was missed during the final minutes of the match.
The injured captain will be running again during the week; however, Sompondo does not think he will be able to play again until Rhodes’s second home match of the season against the University of Fort Hare on 27 February.
Rhodes have been dealt a positive hand, however, in that there are no new injuries in the squad apart from some minor niggles.
This means that the squad will be slightly more settled and confident in playing with one another in the next match.