Paarl Gim hold off Grey
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:14
Quick ball: Gimmies on the attack. Pic: livemoments.co.za
The two previously unbeaten sides at the Cape School's Week met on the final day at SACS, with Paarl Gim coming out on top with a 14-3 victory over Grey PE.
The low-scoring battle was an even contest, as could have been expected from two schools in the bottom half of the FNB Top 20. Neither side gave much away, but in the end Gimmies watertight defence and dominance at the contact points earned them a win and the honour of being the only unbeaten side at the rugby festival.
Gimmies got an early lead through the boot of flyhalf Lance Ruthford; a lead that they would never surrender in blustery conditions in Cape Town. Grey had some decent possession and they looked to run the big Gimmies pack around the park, loose forwards Siyanda Mangaliso and Siyamthanda Kolisi prominent. The pair are physically imposing, but skilful and fast and are a devastating combination in the loose. But despite their efforts Grey struggled to get out of their own half and neither team could get any momentum going forward.
Paarl Gim tried a set- move off a scrum but didn't make any inroads, which left Ruthford with little option but to have a shot at a drop-goal, which he expertly converted. Grey recovered the ball from the restart and got an attack going, pushing close to the Paarl Gim line. They were rewarded with three points from the boot of flyhalf Luke Daniels.
Grey, somewhat surprisingly, started to dominate the scrums and their front row put pressure on their noticeably larger counterparts. The defensive organisation was impressive from both sides and the teams went into the break at 6-3 in favour of the Paarl side. This was a good scoreline for Grey, having played the first half into a stiff breeze.
After the break, Grey looked to use the wind to their advantage, pinning Gim in their own half with some good tactical kicking. But they failed to stick with this tactic for long, and wing Phaphama Hoyi cost his team a penalty after being caught in possession, trying to run his way out of trouble at the back.
Paarl Gim came out stronger and more determined and their defence was rock-solid, flank Gideon Morris putting in a memorable big hit on Daniels, drawing gasps and cheers from the excitable crowd. The physicality of Gimmies became more influential as the game wore on, and Grey struggled to compete at the breakdown. Gimmies' attack was also more penetrative and wing Luqmaan Ismail clinched the decisive score after a good build-up.
Grey started to look a bit desperate in their attack and errors stunted any progress made. They kept pushing though, and had a good opportunity to score after Mangaliso - the most impressive player on the park - made an amazing burst through the middle. The support, though was slow to arrive and the attack came to nothing. It was a tightly contested clash, but in the end the physicality, accuracy and defence of Gimmies was the difference.
Paarl Gim vs Grey PE, 14-3
Scorers:
For Gim:
Tries: Ismail
Pen: Ruthford 2
DG: Ruthford
For Grey:
Pen: Daniels
Paarl Gim: 15 Kyle Wilkinsen , 14 Luqmaan Ismail, 13 Chris Bosch, 12 Kobus van Wyk, 11 Niel Kemp , 10 Lance Ruthford, 9 Johan Beukes , 8 JC Eramus, 7 Gideon Morris, 6 Henlo Weber , 5 JP Swanepoel, 4 Nico Human , 3 Stefan Schoeman , 2 Len Noordt , 1 Dean Morgan
Replacements: 16 Jandre Conradie, 17 Mauritz Walters, 18 Niel Claasen , 19 Pieter-Niel Muller, 20 Willie Viljoen, 21 Erik vd Merwe, 22 Estian De Wet
Grey: 15 Clint Sacks, 14 Xolisa Velim, 13 Jonathan Medrovic, 12 Graedon Irvine , 11 Phaphama Hoyi, 10 Luke Daniels, 9 Chris Collins, 8 Siyanda Mangaliso, 7 Siayamthanda Kolisi, 6 Johan Nel, 5 Brendon Terblanche, 4 JJ Swart, 3 CJ Meiring, 2
Lumko Mbane, 1 Matthew Paul
Replacements: 16 Jarrod Nass, 17 Carl Du Plessis, 19 Mazothsonke Gabazane, 20 Hugh van Niekerk, 21 Olwethu Ngcelwane, 22 Nicholas Holton
By Tim Human
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