Bishops & Hilton run
Bishops scored five tries to three and ran out 35-31 winners.
Both teams ran, but in different ways. Hilton used mostly the one-off runner - one pass to a player who gets tackled, whereas Bishops ran the ball wide, and did so regardless of where they were on the field. Even when the game was tight and teams are trained to have a 'kill the game' plan, Bishops carried on with their way of playing rugby. There is something so beautiful in seeing backs, shoulders parallel to the goal-lines, passing from flyhalf to wing in a straight line, each pass in front of the receiver and at the height of his waist.
Surprisingly Bishops, who play rugby in the most innocent of ways, were severely penalised, Hilton hardly so. Hilton kicked four penalty goals while Bishops did not aim a single penalty at the posts. They had, to be true, only two kickable penalties in the match. One they kicked for touch and the other they tapped and ran.
Hilton scored first. Their scrumhalf was scragged on their far right but they won the ball and moved it left. A long, looping pass by Nicholas Winskill found left wing Fadzai Mushonga unmarked on the left. He headed for the corner, fell in an ankletap, stretched and scored to give Hilton a 5-0 lead.
A Hilton lock was sent to the sin bin for a tip tackle and while he was away Bishops scored their first try. From a scrum about 12 metres inside their half, Bishops went far right, then left and left again till tall Byron Cranswick strode 38 metres down for a try in the left corner with three team-mates supporting him. Scrumhalf Harry Makin converted from three metres in from touch. He converted each one of the Bishops tries. 7-5 to Bishops.
David Rodseth, the tall Hilton flank, has a powerful boot and took over the kicking, successfully to put Hilton up 8-7 from a penalty.
But from a scrum just outside their 22, Bishops ran again. They went right, raced down the right touchline and an inside pass found inside centre Rob Macdonald who scored under the posts. 14-8 to Bishops.
A second penalty by Rodseth brought Hilton closer at 14-11.
Bishops turned a pass infield - to Tristan Warren, the burly Hilton eighthman. He raced down the middle of the field, more than half the length of the field and scored at the posts. Winskill converted and Hilton were back in the lead at 18-14.
That was the half-time score.
Suddenly Bishops got two quick tries.
The first was from a scrum on the half-way line. Bishops went wide right and played inside to fullback Brandon van der Westhuizen who raced through and scored. Now Bishops were leading 21-18.
From the very kick-off Bishops attacked again, this time down the left and again Van der Westhuizen raced over for the try. 28-18, but the victory was not going to be comfortable., A string of penalties saw to that.
Winskill goaled one to make it 28-21.
Bishops seemed about to score from an intercept but a hamstring felled the Bishops runner better than any tackle on the day.
Rodseth was short with a penalty kick from the half-way and Bishops tried to run it out. Their reward was to be penalised and this time Rodseth goaled., 28-24.
Bishops attacked down the left, came right and were stopped at the line. The ball came back to flyhalf James Macdonald and he was too strong for two tacklers as he scored under the posts. 35-24.
Penalties set Hilton bashing at the Bishops line, thrown back time and again by the brave defenders but eventually Hein Marx scored and Rodseth converted. 35-31.
And still Bishops ran, oblivious of danger, unconcerned it seemed by the possibility of defeat, and at that score the match ended.
Scorers:
For Bishops:
Tries: Byron Cranswick, Rob Macdonald, Brandon van der Westhuizen 2, James Macdonald
Coins: Harry Makin 5
For Hilton:
Tries: Fadzai Mushonga, Tristan Warren, Hein Marx
Cons: David Rodseth, Nicholas Winskill
Pens: David Rodseth 3, Nicholas Winskill
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (Western Province Referees' Society)