Two trophies in five days, not a bad week’s work for Cobus van Dyk.
The Waterkloof director of rugby capped off a remarkable double on Saturday, guiding his school side to a pulsating 33-28 victory over Menlopark in the NWU School Series final in Kempton Park. It came just days after he helped steer Tuks to Varsity Cup glory as the university’s forwards coach on Monday.
Talk about riding the trophy wave.
But this was no procession. Waterkloof had to dig deep, scrap hard and withstand a furious late Menlopark surge to claim the silverware in what was a proper Pretoria derby, physical, intense and played with the kind of attacking ambition that produced 61 points and plenty of drama.
Early exchanges set the tone
Waterkloof got the better of the opening skirmishes and struck first blood in the 12th minute. Muller Pretorius showed excellent vision to play Alexander Griessel into space, and the youngster needed no second invitation to dot down. Seven-nil, and the champions-elect were up and running.
Menlopark’s response was immediate and clinical. Just two minutes later, their captain Tiaan Boshoff, spotted space around a ruck and exploited it ruthlessly, scoring in the corner to level matters at 7-7. The visitors were getting front-foot ball and quick recycling at the breakdown, playing with the kind of determination.
Waterkloof struggled to finish chances in the first stanza, but Griessel wasn’t done. In the 22nd minute, the fullback fielded a Menlopark kick and instantly spotted space. He released his wing, stayed in support with intelligent running, and finished off the opportunity he’d created himself with a score under the posts. At 14-7, Waterkloof had their noses back in front.
Both sides embraced an adventurous approach, attacking from anywhere on the field and playing the kind of free-flowing rugby that had the crowd on their feet. The half-time scoreline of 14-7 barely reflected the intensity of the contest.
Waterkloof emerged from the break with lethal intent. Their ball carriers were finding lightning-quick recycling with every contact, stretching Menlopark’s defence. In the 37th minute, Marcel Tsiakos ran a clever shape close to the line and crashed over. Twenty-one to seven, and the gap was widening.
Five minutes later, Waterkloof twisted the knife. Almero Gerritsen, a bruising presence at number eight – finished off a superbly executed wide-wide movement to bash over and extend the lead to 28-7. The trophy looked to be heading to Waterkloof.
But Menlopark refused to lie down. They kept the intensity high and in the 46th minute, they launched a driving maul that yielded a try. At 28-14, they had a sniff.
Seven minutes later, another Menlopark try, this one born from brutal forward carries off the back of a strong scrum, brought it back to 28-21. Game on.
Waterkloof steadied themselves with a driving maul of their own in the 58th minute, dotting down to push the lead back out to 33-21. But with 10 minutes remaining, Menlopark threw everything at their hosts.
Stubborn defence and late drama
Waterkloof’s defence was stubborn, absorbing wave after wave of Menlopark pressure. Eventually, a Menlopark error relieved some of the pressure, but the visitors weren’t done.
In the dying moments, a scrum gave Menlopark dominance, and a succession of penalties against Waterkloof gave them field position. They marched up the field and scored as time expired, but it was too little, too late. Final score: 33-28.
“It was a very tough match, Menlopark are a good team,” Van Dyk said afterwards. “We made a few crucial mistakes that put us under pressure, but we were physical and that helped us. We are very proud of the boys who showed a great fight. We did well in the scrums, that put them under pressure. We had a few execution errors, but we kept fighting for 70 minutes.”
Menlopark’s director of rugby, Dirk Odendaal, was gracious in defeat but rueful about missed opportunities.
“Waterkloof are a well-coached side, we knew it was going to be tough. It was a very physical match and I believe there are a few sore bodies this morning,” Odendaal said. “We had opportunities but just weren’t clinical enough on the day.”
A week to remember
For Van Dyk, it’s been a week that validates his hard work. From the Varsity Cup triumph with Tuks on Monday to lifting school rugby silverware on Saturday, he’s proven his ability to get the best out of players at different levels.
Menlopark can hold their heads high. They pushed their rivals all the way and on another day, with a bit more clinical finishing, this could have gone the other way.
But this was Waterkloof’s day. And Van Dyk’s week.
