Grey High’s effective line-out maul rose to the occasion in the nick of time when they averted a fourth straight loss to Framesby with a 19-15 win in a pulsating King Price Derby Series schools rugby clash on the Kolisi Field on Saturday.
Played in incredibly muddy conditions with rain pouring down at stages, the visitors were devastated at the end as they agonisingly failed to pull off another memorable win after taking the lead for the first time in the match in the 63rd minute with a try by flank David Matyani.
This came after an ambitious Grey move to run the ball broke down in midfield and the ball was kicked ahead for Matyani to win the race to glory.
Jaiden Brewis’s conversion made it 15-14 to Framesby with the final whistle looming, but the Grey team kept their composure to force their way into their opponents’ territory.
A penalty in their favour and a kick into the 22 set them up for another driving maul.
Framesby had failed to hold them in this department in the first half and again their cohesion and power were just too much, allowing flank Cody Wilmot to cross for his third try.
With just three minutes remaining, Grey won a line-out from the kickoff and again produced a devastating driving maul, taking them about 40 metres downfield and ending in another penalty.
Though Framesby stole the ball from the final line-out, they were pegged deep in their territory and there was no way for them to get back into the lead.
The conditions prevented the match from being a spectacle, but there was no doubting the courage and passion of both sides as they fought for supremacy on a slippery field.
Grey scored first through Wilmot from a line-out maul, Tristan Kemp adding the conversion, but Framesby made it 7-5 at the break when hooker Luke Didoft dived over after a series of forward drives close to the Grey line.
Three minutes into the second half, Wilmot returned the compliment as it became Grey’s turn to apply the pressure to go out to a 14-7 lead.
Brewis landed a penalty with 10 minutes to go and soon after that they went ahead through Matyani, only to be denied by a final, determined Grey effort.
In Kariega, Brandwag powered to a 62-3 victory over Muir to secure the Tinara Cup which the two sides compete for along with Daniel Pienaar.
With one match to play against Daniel Pienaar, Brandwag have already done enough (two wins over Muir and one against Daniel Pienaar) to seal the title as the 2025 champions.
Conditions in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro and surrounding areas were less than ideal for rugby, with rainy and cold conditions persisting throughout the afternoon.
This saw Pearson and Graeme College slog it out in a 10-10 draw, while, in a freezing Humansdorp, Nico Malan had too many guns for the visiting DF Malherbe team, winning 50-5. — Additional reporting by SuperSportSchools.com
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