When the storm passed, the Free State giants stood firm and unleashed fury. Grey College weathered a ferocious Helpmekaar opening assault before asserting their class with a commanding 51-19 victory on Noord Suid Day Two. Lamla Mgedezi produced moments of individual brilliance that will live long in the memory, whilst Grey’s ability to absorb pressure before striking with ruthless efficiency showcased exactly why they remain one of schoolboy rugby’s most formidable outfits.
The magic man needed just one touch to announce his presence. When the ball went wide, Lamla Mgedezi beat three defenders with footwork that defied physics to open the scoring. 5-0 to Grey, and the Bloemfontein side had drawn first blood.
But Helpmekaar didn’t travel from Johannesburg to roll over.
Helpies bring the fight
The men from the Reef gained good front foot ball, their ruck speed causing Grey problems. But they overplayed their hand in the final third, turning possession over when points beckoned. Grey had been let off the hook early.
There was genuine venom in Helpmekaar’s attack. The 12th minute saw Francois Tonkin race down the touchline before a late hit halted his progress. The Johannesburg side were building pressure.
The 14th minute brought the breakthrough Helpies craved. A powerful driving maul rumbled over the line for a classic forward’s try. 5-5 and this contest had ignited.
Helpmekaar threw the kitchen sink at Grey College, waves of attacks crashing against the Bloemfontein defence. The men from Bloem held firm, keeping the Helpies boys out through sheer willpower and technical excellence. But the pressure kept mounting.
The 24th minute saw Shaye Lourens spot a gap around the ruck and dive over with perfect execution. The conversion sailed through, 12-5 to Helpmekaar. The underdogs had their noses in front.
Grey steady the ship
The 29th minute brought Grey a penalty opportunity. Christoff Crous made no mistake, cutting the deficit to 12-8. The Free State giants were steadying themselves.
Three minutes later, Grey unleashed their class. Running from their own half, O’Ryan Kleyn produced a devastating linebreak before finding Mgedezi in space. The magic man still had two defenders to beat, but that proved no obstacle as he scorched under the posts. 15-12 to Grey, and momentum had shifted dramatically.
Two minutes later came the killer blow before halftime. Jonathan Drysdale spotted zero defenders around the ruck, made the break and found JW Coetzee, who barreled over with power. 22- 12, and all the momentum belonged to Grey heading into the sheds.
Grey College carried that momentum into the second stanza and never looked back. They didn’t panic, shored up their defence and went on an absolute rampage.
The 43rd minute saw Xander de Beer crash over from a well-executed maul try, extending the lead to 29-12.
Seven minutes later, Eddie Mabena found space and blasted past defenders to claim another five-pointer. 34- 12, and Grey were in complete control.
The 55th minute brought another penalty opportunity. Crous stepped up once more and slotted the three points to stretch the advantage to 37-12.
The second half belonged entirely to Grey College.
With eight minutes remaining, Helpmekaar produced a flash of brilliance. Ethan Lourens made a brilliant linebreak, almost scoring himself before unselfishly offloading to John van Druten, who dotted down to cut the deficit to 37-19. Pride remained intact for the Johannesburg boys.
Grey hit back a minute later when a Helpmekaar lineout went awry. The hosts capitalised ruthlessly to push the score to 44-19.
Helpmekaar showed moments of quality throughout the second half, but Grey’s superiority proved overwhelming.
The 67th minute brought one final moment of magic. Lamla Mgedezi produced individual brilliance that defied description, stepping into space that seemingly didn’t exist to dot down his second try. 51 -19, Grey College’s dominance was complete.
