Let’s speed things up!
This time of year Nelson Mandela Bay schools shift their focus from traditional 15-man rugby to the fast-paced Sevens Rugby format.
Various Sevens Tournaments will be played all over the province, and especially the u/17 players will get some golden opportunities to make their mark in this format.
There aren’t any places to hide in a Sevens match, and coaches will be looking for the speedsters who can get away from the defenders in the blink of an eye, to include in their teams.
The format also caters for the strong player, and of course everyone must make those one-on-one tackles count. If you miss a tackle, your team is immediately on the back foot.
As was the case last year, Grey High will host the first tournament in the popular national Frogfoot 7s Series for u/17 teams on Saturday in Gqeberha. The tournament will run till October.
“Rugby is a sport that unites South Africans and runs deep in our veins. It draws families together to offer their unwavering support,” said Marinda du Preez of Frogfoot.
“Our focus remains on using the power of sport to support these young players, guiding them on a pathway to success, while ensuring they have a fantastic time along the way.”
While the u/17 players will step up to a more senior role, it was the final taste of school rugby for many matric learners this past Saturday.
Pearson, playing at home in Gqeberha, finished off a very good season in style. They beat Die Brandwag from Kariega 20–0. Another Kariega side which found it tough going was Daniel Pienaar. Marlow, visiting from Cradock, was just too strong and won comfortably 42–5.
Despatch hosted DF Malherbe (Gqeberha), and although it was a tough encounter the home team always looked in control and won 33–11.
Nico Malan was another home team who got the better of their Gqeberha visitors. In a fierce battle in Humansdorp, the home side left it very late in a real nailbiter.
They scored the winning try in the left corner, just before the final whistle, to win 21–17. Framesby was leading 10–0 at half-time. Nico Malan outscored Framesby by three tries to two. The most spectacular try was scored by right wing Owen Breda, after a brilliant backline move by Nico Malan.
Supporters of school rugby can now look forward to many more spectacular tries in the Sevens’ tournaments.
Results
Nico Malan 21, Framesby 17; Pearson 20, Die Brandwag 0; Despatch 33, DF Malherbe 11; Marlow 42, Daniel Pienaar 5; Bergsig 20, Otto du Plessis.
