Gardens from Kariega pulled of a huge upset as they became the first winners of the Ebrahim Patel Community Cup after beating crowd favourites and Boland Top 12 champions, Robertson Town, 29-28 at Outeniqua Park Stadium in George on Monday (21 April).
The final days games of the tournament were played in wet conditions, which made it difficult for teams to showcase their talents but it certainly did not curb their enthusiasm to run with a heavy and wet ball.
St George’s RFC, the only team from the Helderberg at the tournament, returned with heads held high, having secured a well-earned victory in their final match after a challenging start to the competition.
The tournament proved to be a valuable learning ground for the Lulu Boys, who had two tough opening encounters against Robertson Town and Heidelberg, both of which ended in defeats.
Despite the early setbacks, the team remained resilient and showed great character on and off the field.
Playing the first game of the final day (Monday), the Lulus made amends for a poor performance on Day 2 as they beat Groot Brak 33-10 after leading 14-7 at the half-time break.
The WP Super League A team used a smart strategy by picking a strong bench of usual starters that included hooker and captain, Haroon Adams, as Groot Brak totally fell apart.
Meanwhile, Safcol United of Grabouw also had too much class for Heidelberg in the Plate final, as eighthman Bongeni Booysen put in a man-of-the-match performance in a convincing 33-8 win.
And in a tight clash for third place, Bridgton beat Port Elizabeth Harlequins 25-15 as the rain started pouring down heavily in George.
Nevertheless, the wet and cold conditions could not dampen the supporters of Robertson Town and Gardens ahead of a much-anticipated final.
Gardens made a quick start as Donlic Natal scored the opening try inside the first five minutes before Robertson replied through a Lindsay Eksteen five-pointer to tie things back up at 7-7.
The men from Kariega retook the lead with a second unconverted score, but Town would hit the sheds at half-time in the lead by 14-12 after scoring their second converted try.
However, the scoreboard swung back in Gardens’ favour as they crossed the whitewash within two minutes after the restart. Four minutes later they stretched the lead to eight points with their fourth try.
But two Colin Willemse penalties saw Robertson cut Gardens’ lead to just two points.
Gardens scored a converted try to take the score to 29-20.
There was still more than enough time left for Robertson to try and win the game, and after Freginald Africa scored the Boland side’s third try and Willemse converted, it was down to the wire.
With time up all Willemse had to do was put the ball between the uprights for Robertson to win. But the fly-half did the unthinkable, hitting the right-hand upright, ultimately handing the EPCC crown to Gardens.
For the Lulu Boys, the victory over Groot Brak was the cherry on top of a weekend filled with brotherhood, learning and progress.
The Strand-based team will now look ahead to the rest of the regular Super League A season with renewed focus and belief.
The club extended its gratitude to the tournament organisers, applauding the professionalism and hospitality shown throughout the event.
