Mary Waters take it
The Albany High Schools U15 and U18 leagues concluded on Tuesday with the rematch in the U18 final. The contest for the U18 final saw Mary Waters High school taking on Nathaniel Nyaluza on a hot sunny day at the Miki Yili Stadium.
The Albany High School league started an the beginning of the season as a Department of Sport and Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) and Education Department project. Mary Waters beat Nombulelo to reach the finals while their opponents Nathaniel Nyaluza defeated Khutliso Daniels to book their place in the finals.
The Albany tournament took place on Saturday 27 August, however the U18 final was rescheduled for Tuesday due to poor light.
South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA), which runs the national U15 Legends Vuka League, became involved in the U15 section of the Albany league. All teams in the U15 section have sponsored kit from SARLA.
In the U15 section Nathaniel Nyaluza met Ntaba Maria. Nyaluza made it through to the final after they beat CM Vellem, while Ntaba Maria beat Mary Waters in their semi-final. The U15 final was a closely contested one with Nathaniel Nyaluza winning 20-19.
Mary Waters High School took on Nathaniel Nyaluza in the U18 Albany High Schools final in an exciting but close game of rugby.
Both teams showed pas- sion and intensity on the field, however the players from Mary Waters were able to edge out Nathaniel Nyaluza in the second half of the game to come out with a 11-5 victory. Both teams came out with the intent to score trys however strong defence was shown by both teams while under pressure.
Nathaniel Nyaluza scored first early in the game, however Mary Waters struck back through strong running and scored a well worked try.
With a try each going into the second half, Mary Waters flyhalf Luvuyo Papu's two penalties were the deciding points in the game. Mary Waters took the lead and with strong and valiant defence were able to keep Nathaniel Nyaluza out and secure the win.
The hot sunny afternoon of rugby was concluded with a fitting ceremony as Mary Waters celebrated their victory
The top three teams in both the U15 and U18 sections were awarded medals by DSRAC.
See results in Know The Score on page 24 and more photographs on page 26.