Selborne College rose to the occasion where it mattered most – on the field of play – to register a notable win over the previously unbeaten Graeme College in a cracking encounter in East London on Saturday.
It was a game which was typical of the outstanding school derbies in the Eastern Cape, with each side having their moments, and a score of 19-19 with 20 minutes to go, before Selborne finally pulled away to win 34-26.
With lock Travis Enslin and centre Iviwe Kabale the standout players for Selborne, the home side put Graeme under sustained pressure from the start, and this allowed them to build a handy 12-0 lead through two tries.
But Graeme showed why they are so highly rated this season, particularly when they are on the attack.
With No 9 Luke Doyle calling the shots from the base of the scrum, and fullback Lucritia Magau a constant menace at the back, they bounced back with three tries to go ahead 19-12.
It was then that the Selborne side showed their character by levelling the score, and although Graeme scored once more, the East London side capitalised on their chances to kick a penalty and score their fifth try to complete a week which will be remembered for many different reasons.
Selborne’s tries came from Sabelo Vuso (2), Enslin, Kabale and Reece Rasmussen, with Riley Hansel kicking three conversions and a penalty.
Tries for Graeme came from Doyle (2), Asakhe Ranuga and Lucritia Magau, with Erin Nelson kicking three conversions.
Meanwhile in Gqeberha, Paul Roos Gym held off a spirited fightback from Grey High to triumph 28-15 in their King Price Derby Series clash on the Kolisi field.
After leading 14-0 at halftime and then 21-5 six minutes into the second half, the visitors saw Grey fight back to within six points of their tally before they used their forwards to rumble upfield and eventually pulled away late in the game for a deserved victory.
Grey were guilty of some defensive lapses in the first half and a burst of two tries by big centre Jean Hamman, who fought his way through several defenders to the line, and speedy wing Cadynn Samuels saw them shoot into a 14-0 lead after 13 minutes.
Samuels took his chance when Grey failed to manage a kick ahead by scrumhalf Tristan Armitage, and the ball bounced kindly for the left wing as he outpaced the Grey defence in 50-metre dash for the line.
Kyle Snyers was on song with his boot for Paul Roos in windy conditions, slotting both conversions.
Grey High got onto the board in the 40th minute when a series of drives from the forwards saw prop Daniel Naude go over for a try.
That was quickly cancelled out as No 8 Werner du Bruin got onto the end of a pass from a quick tap close to the Grey line, and there was no stopping him for the visitors’ third try.
Then came Grey’s brightest period of the match. This time it was Paul Roos who made a basic error with a dropped pass, which saw wing Sikhu Xego snap up possession near the halfway mark to race to the tryline.
That was followed 10 minutes later by an excellent backline move as Grey quickly moved the ball through the hands and right wing Noah Mbizi used nifty footwork to evade a few defenders for their third try.
A scoreline of 21-15 with 19 minutes left had made it interesting, but Paul Roos quickly tightened things up.
Although they missed a penalty, they took control through their forwards, and a 25-metre maul from the halfway line underpinned their intentions.
They managed to stay in the right areas of the field, and the constant pressure eventually told when flank Christian le Roux burst over for their final try, converted by Snyers to complete the scoring.
Daily Dispatch
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