Write off Maritzburg College at your peril. The number one ranked team in the country found that out the hard way as Stellenberg were pushed to the absolute limit before scraping home 24-19 in a pulsating Absa Wildeklawer encounter.
Anyone expecting a procession for the highly-fancied Jade Brigade got their predictions shredded. This was a battle, pure and simple, and College emerged with their pride intact and reputations enhanced, even in defeat.
Stellenberg flex their muscles
The opening exchanges set the tone. Stellenberg came out firing, wave after wave of attacks crashing against the College defensive wall. For 10 minutes, the boys from Maritzburg absorbed the punishment, holding firm under immense pressure. But something had to give.
It came through Ralton Rhode, who found space in the corner and dotted down. 7-0 to Stellenberg, and the floodgates threatened to open.
They did. Daniel Mongie provided the next moment of magic, showcasing raw power that took three College players to bring him down. Unlucky for them, he’d already crossed the whitewash before they managed it. 12-0 to the men from Cape Town, and Stellenberg were purring.
College’s frustration boiled over. Repeated infringements earned them a yellow card, and the Jade Brigade made them pay immediately. From the resulting penalty, Juvan Burden barrelled over with typical forward brutality. 17-0.
At this point, it looked ominous for College. But Stellenberg’s dominance wasn’t just about attack, their defence was a thing of beauty. They closed down space before College could exploit anything, their line speed exemplary, suffocating any hint of a counterattack.
As time ticked down in the first half, they finally found some rhythm. The ball went wide to Lwanzo Vyambwera, who got over in the corner to give his side a lifeline heading into the sheds. 17-7 at halftime, and game very much on.
College roar back
The second stanza was a completely different affair. Gone was the one-way traffic; in its place, a proper scrap with both sides trading blows and refusing to yield an inch.
With 13 minutes remaining, College crashed over again. 17-14. Suddenly, Stellenberg were wobbling, and to compound matters, they were shown a yellow card. The pressure was mounting.
College marched upfield, tails up, sensing blood. They went to the lineout, the crowd held its breath… and the throw wasn’t straight. A get-out-of-jail-free card for Stellenberg, and they grabbed it with both hands.
The tables turned in spectacular fashion. Daniel Mongie straightened the line and delivered a sublime offload. College defended like demons, throwing bodies into every breakdown, but the pressure became unbearable. Daniel Steffen spotted the gap, sniped around the fringes, and crossed the line. 24-14.
Surely that was that?
Not quite. College refused to lie down. They got into the red zone once more, and Stellenberg’s defence, while heroic, earned them another yellow card for their troubles. Fortunately for the Jade Brigade, their previous yellow had just expired.
It didn’t matter. College’s burly hooker, Theodorus Boshoff, barrelled over with typical front-row ferocity. 24-19, and College were one score away from a stunning comeback.
But time, that cruel mistress, ran out. The final whistle blew, and Stellenberg had survived by the skin of their teeth.
This was Stellenberg tested to their absolute limit. They dominated the first half with clinical precision, their line speed and defensive organisation shutting down College well. But when College came roaring back in the second half, the Jade Brigade had to dig deep, and dig deep they did.
Daniel Mongie was immense throughout, combining power and skill in equal measure. Daniel Steffen’s snipe proved to be the match-winning moment, while the forwards did the ugly work that doesn’t make the highlight reels but wins tight matches.
Maritzburg College can hold their heads sky-high. They absorbed a first-half battering, regrouped, and came within a whisker of pulling off a remarkable comeback.
For Stellenberg, this will be a valuable lesson. Being number one means everyone raises their game against you. They got the result, but they know they were in a proper Test match.
