Although they were on the losing side, the Gqeberha teams of Framesby and Pearson ended their inter-school rugby year on a thrilling note.
Nico Malan (Humansdorp) beat Framesby 14–8 in Gqeberha on Friday, and in Kariega the home team of Die Brandwag beat Pearson 17–12.
It was two nailbiters, and the result could have gone either way, but Nico Malan and Die Brandwag deserved their victories.
Not much happened in a dull first half which was full of errors from both sides at a packed Framesby field, but what an exciting second half!
The first points were scored with a Framesby try after 44 minutes, but Nico Malan hit straight back with a try of their own.
Nico Malan made better decisions, remained calm and patient, and kept piling on the pressure.
The visitors were finally rewarded for their courageous effort with a penalty try, which clinched the deal just three minutes before the final whistle.
In another match, on Saturday in Gqeberha, Andrew Rabie beat Westering 24–7 but in Kariega it was another hard-fought affair which saw Daniel Pienaar edging out Muir College 29–26.
There is one more match to look forward to before Sevens rugby takes over.
This coming Saturday, Despatch will host DF Malherbe from Gqeberha.
Also this coming Saturday, Grey High will be the home of an important Sevens tournament in Gqeberha.
The Eastern Province selectors will be very interested in the talent on display, as they build up to the national under-17 Sevens tournament which takes place later this year.
The final u/17 Sevens trials will be held at Andrew Rabie next week.
An EP squad which has already started their preparation is the u/15 players who are getting ready for this year’s Iqhawe Week.
They will be at it again this coming Sunday when the group of 23 players will meet at Cillié High for another training session.
There will be a few of these training sessions with the coaching team of Ashwell Stride before a possible warm-up match next month.
The tournament will be held during the September holiday at Jeppe High in Johannesburg, and big things are expected from the EP side.
EP has been doing well and has been involved in some of the finals since the tournament started in 2012.
The executive of EP High Schools Rugby is optimistic that the boys can win the trophy for the first time.
“The group has some gifted forwards and dangerous attackers in the mid-field who will test the opposition,” said EP secretary, Neville Botha.
“They will now be tuned into a well-oiled machine, with training sessions set aside for this month and September,” Botha explained.
The Iqhawe Week is South Africa’s premier development tournament for u/15s.
The aim is to reach players from non-traditional rugby schools to participate in a tournament equal in status to the prestigious Craven Week.
