Breakers Rugby Football Club became the champions of inaugural Komani Rugby Championship competition, after beating high-flying Progress Rugby Football Club 17-10 in the final on Saturday afternoon at the Tobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre in Komani.
Progress went into the final with their tails up, after winning all their group games since the tournament started last month, including beating the champions, Breakers 10-7 in the last group game.
Progress finished at the top with 13 points, while Breakers came second, with 10 points, with Old Collegians and Shining Stars filling up third and fourth place.
Progress was the first team to dot down in the final, but the response from the champions was swift and deadly as they scored three tries from captain, Mphathi Maqhina, full back Skhija Skhweyiya and number eight, Nyameko Maso, while 22-year-old fly half, Siwaphiwe Mgwigwi, got one conversion right.
Breakers may have claimed the tournament, but that does not mean they are done yet, said proud coach, Simphiwe ‘Rose’ Roji.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we got the result especially winning against a team that walloped us in the group stage. But we have to recommend this union of four teams, this tournament will help all these teams.
“We might be the champions on the day but ‘rugby’ won today,” said Roji.
Progress head coach, Devenito Jekkels, echoed the same words, also saying this tournament should be staged annually to prepare for the league.
The tournament was played on a points system, with each team playing each other once. Teams were allowed to use 23 players on match day and those players had to all be based in Komani.
The competition kicked off a new era in 2022 following a joint venture in partnership between four Komani local rugby clubs that are playing in different leagues in the Eastern Cape.
