White River thrash Middelburg to ensure a spot in final
White River Rugby Club will play
Secunda Digi Mag Rugby Club in the final of the Mpumalanga Premier Rugby League at the Sasol Stadium on Saturday at 15:30.
White River gave their best performance of the season in a 66-26 thrashing of Middelburg Rugby Club in White River in the semi-final on Saturday.
The home team were in fine form and gelled as a unit for 80 minutes. Their set pieces were strong, their attacking sublime and defence solid.
Middelburg, despite the scoreline, put up a solid effort, but could not match White River’s pace and precision.
The visitors fought until the final whistle. The key to White River’s win was that every time Middelburg moved up a gear, White River moved up two.
Junior Kotze, who started the match on the left wing and finished it at scrum half, scored in the left corner after five minutes from a signature backline attack.
White River were under pressure three minutes later, after Mervin Gilbert was yellow-carded for a tip tackle.
Secunda went up 7-5 in the 14th minute after a try by Jackson Madiba, which was converted by Rieckert Barnard, but that would be the first and the last time they were in the lead.
Kyle Leukes, Juan Bester and Gert Botha scored tries for the home team and Stephan van der Bank added the nine conversion points.
White River led 26-7 at half-time.
Leukes and Van der Bank put the home team up by a further seven points in the
49th minute.
Middelburg fought back with all they had, and tries by Otto Botha and Justin Botha and one conversion by Barnard took the score to 33-19.
The last 20 minutes of the match was all White River’s, and they attacked with venom.
Gilbert created a try for captain Wilmaure Louw, Dylan Sonderland intercepted and sprinted 90m to claim five points, and Delaray Swart barged his way over for his try.
Botha got his second, grabbing a pinpoint kick from Van der Bank out of the air and going over for five points, before Van der Bank scored a try from an attack from deep inside the White River half.
Van der Bank slotted every conversion. Jacques Petzer-Moore scored a try on the siren for Middelburg.
White River executed a deadly game plan. They put Middelburg under pressure and fed off their errors.
The other Mpumalanga Premier League semi-final between Secunda Digi Mag and Barberton Rugby Club at Secunda Stadium was a much closer affair.
Secunda won 16-7 and led 8-7 at half-time.