Kingswood firsts fight hard to beat Graeme

GRAEME and Kingswood enjoyed some exciting contests in their rugby derby at Graeme in Grahamstown on Saturday as the teams adapted to the slippery conditions after heavy rain during the week.

There is no doubt that the conditions would assist the Graeme first team as the Kingswood side would not be able to express themselves as much as they would in dry conditions.

Interestingly, nobody won two games in a row on Somerset field on Saturday. Graeme had a hard-fought win in the U14A game, while the Kingswood U15A side proved far too strong on the day.

The U16A match was a superb contest and this time Graeme got another tick in the win column with an impressive performance.

It was then Kingswood’s turn to get a win in the third-team match.

The second-team contest was always going to one of the matches of the day and it lived up to expectations.

Graeme hung on to a 15-10 win, with Kingswood making 80m with the last move of the match.

Graeme always knew they would be up against a potent Kingswood side in the first-team match.

Graeme coach Jonty van der Meulen said this helped to motivate his side.

It was a game that could have gone either way at times but Kingswood eventually ran out 26-17 winners.

In the first half, Kingswood crossed the line twice, both times the backline showing their worth with good skills and pace to finish off the moves.

Graeme had managed to stay in the hunt with two penalties from the boot of Sivu Ngqiyaza.

Kingswood had a much bigger side and even though the Graemians showed tremendous heart, it often meant the KC side received good possession on the front foot.

Graeme started the second half well by applying some pressure of their own. Kingswood had a scrum on their own try line, but Graeme managed to get a tighthead, resulting in a try by captain Ntsika Ndungane.

The try was converted to put Graeme 13-12 ahead.

Kingswood then kept their hands on the ball for long periods of time, which led to another converted try.

Graeme struck back with two penalties, taking the score to 19-19 with 10 minutes left on the clock.

The derby was brilliantly poised, with spectators on the edge of their seats. Again Kingswood managed to keep the ball, and with Graeme missing a few key opportunities to clear their line, the pressure mounted.

Kingswood eventually crashed over for the try, reclaiming the lead 26-19.

Graeme did not give up as they came close to scoring one of their own in the corner, with wing Azizipho Mngcongo being bundled into touch after a superb run down the touchline.

The scoreline was probably a fair reflection of the game, and Kingswood had to fight hard to earn the win on the day.

Kingswood’s points came from tries by Athi Halom, Matthew Takeloo, Jimmy Sholto-Douglas and Olehile Losaba, plus three conversions by Weston Potgieter.