Spectators can look forward to many more spectacular tries at the business end of the Mzwandile Mali Schools Rugby Tournament.
The semi-finals will be played in Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakhele, on Friday, and two exciting matches are expected.
Ndzondelelo will play against Uitenhage and Bonzai takes on Thubalethu, the regional Fort Beaufort winning team.
Teams will battle it out in the u/19 tournament which started last month, and where total prize money of R150 000 is at stake.
There is also the chance for players to make the squad of 22, and tour with the Mzwandile Mali group to England in October.
Since the start of the tournament, spectators have been treated to lovely running rugby and some unbelievable tries.
The big question now is if the teams will change their strategy with so much at stake. If you lose on Friday, there is no second chance to reach the final.
The final takes place on March 15, also at Wolfson Stadium.
The quarter-finals were played in very windy conditions last Wednesday afternoon, but that didn’t stop the teams from producing entertaining running rugby.
Uitenhage was the first team to secure a semi-final spot when they beat Douglas Mbopha 39–0.
It was a much tougher assignment for Uitenhage than the scoreline might suggest. The sides were locked in a fierce battle in the first half, but Uitenhage managed their second try just before half-time, to take the lead by 10–0 at the break.
This try was just the spark that Uitenhage needed. They approached the second half with much more confidence and ran in some scintillating tries.
Thubalethu got the better of Cingani by 44–17 after leading 22–5 at half-time.
The Beaufort boys impressed with some classy interplay between forwards and backs. At times they played a good structured game, which created space for the speedsters to go and score tries.
When individual players tried to do too much on their own, Thubalethu lost shape on attack.
They defended strongly, but at times were too eager, which led to them giving away penalties. If they up their discipline they can be an even better side.
Ndzondelelo took control of the match against Soqhayisa right from the start. Soqhayisa was under pressure early in this encounter, and Ndzondelelo won 38–0 after leading 28–0 at the break.
What an exciting backline Ndzondelelo has!
They played enterprising rugby, and those speedy backs are very dangerous. The passing in the windy conditions was just excellent.
Ndzondelelo impressed with a well-structured game, and the driving mauls were very effective.
They did lose concentration in the second half when a few substitutions were made. In the semi-final they can’t afford to take the foot off the pedal.
Bonzai showed good variety in their play and their tactical kicking in the strong wind was of a high standard.
They scored early in the match but had to work hard to down Ithembelihle 15–5 after leading 10–0 at halftime.
Itembelihle scrummed very well and their forwards became a bigger and bigger factor as the match progressed. They just made too many mistakes to win, and in the end a gutsy effort saw Bonzai through.
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