Great win for Glenwood over Grey
Match Report
Saving their best for last, Glenwood's 'Green Machine' produced a champions look about it’s 14-10 victory over highly ranked Grey College on Dixons Field in Durban on Saturday.
At present Grey Bloem were ranked second equal with Waterkloof on the FNB Top 20, Glenwood 11th.
It was the perfect way to bring the curtain down on one of Glenwood's best seasons in recent years, and went a long way towards erasing from the memory of an embarrassing 58-3 defeat to the 'Boys from Bloem' a year ago.
While Glenwood took the field with the tag of KwaZulu Natal's top team for 2006 with just four defeats, Grey had only once tasted the bitter pill of defeat at the hands of Affies in Pretoria and will bring their season to an end this weekend against Paul Roos to decide who wins the crown.
This was classic hard-running schools rugby at its best with no quarter asked and none given, the difference in the end, with two-tries each, being the more accurate boot of Glenwood No.8, Ian Adendorff, and the amazing defensive display by Glenwood.
Wing Dale Slater was given the honour of leading the ‘Green Machine’ onto the field to mark his 50th 1st XV game to the accompaniment of a suitable war cry from the Glenwood stands while Grey took the field without regular captain, Danie Calitz, sidelined with concussion.
Grey, who came overnight by train from the Free State with 600 boys and 50 staff members, had their own impressive supporters club which had crossed swords throughout the day with the host school at rugby (23 teams/ 345 players), hockey (8/ 88), soccer (3/ 33), squash (6/ 24), tennis (4/ 24 ), cross-country (2/ 12), table tennis (1/ 8), golf (1/ 6), chess (1/ 8) and debating (2/ 6).
The game got off to a frenetic start in a cold, blustery wind with both sides eager to be the first to score.
A big kick upfield by Glenwood outside centre Ivan Kennedy almost to the left cornerflag in the seventh minute saw Glenwood get possession at the ensuing line-out. Lock Hilton Hardman slipped a pass to captain and flank Warren Whitely who ran around the side of the setting maul to score on the blind side, Adendorff converting. 7-0.
A superb tackle by Adendorff on Grey's right wing D Fourie saved a dangerous breakaway but Glenwood then went offside on their own 22 for a penalty that saw flyhalf Sias Ebersohn miss an easy kick.
Then it was the turn of Glenwood flank Kyle Cooper to set off on an amazing jinking weaving run that took him past several College players to regain lost ground.
Right wing, Rudi Mazzaro, carried the ball forward and was almost bundled into touch close to the Grey line, but the ball was kept live for a mini-break by scrum-half Ryno Rust and the ball went from him to flyhalf Hennie Swart and then Ian Adendorff who dived over for a second try which he converted himself (14-0).
A brilliant rearguard action mounted by Glenwood in which one of the uprights lent its support saw them close out a massive Grey offence which ended with Whitely somehow gaining possession and passing to Rust whose massive clearance robbed Grey of a try.
The visitors were soon to return, winning the ball back at a loose maul, and had several men involved in an overlap on the right for fullback Robert Ebersohn to score an easy try, his brother Sias again off target with the set kick, for Glenwood to lead 14-5 at half-time.
Glenwood were penalised almost from the restart but yet another penalty was missed, this time by Grey's outside centre Gerard Landman.
The injury toll began to mount, Grey having lost hooker, N Wessels and now also his replacement. Glenwood's Dexter Fahey went off with an open wound and Mazzaro with a pulled hamstring.
Grey had their best period which included a stage when the ball went through four passing phases before an attempted drop kick ended it.
Another feature of Grey's play was their slick line-outs and some innovative set plays that put Glenwood's defence under severe pressure which eventually resulted in a second try from a line-out awarded to Grey but won by Glenwood with a tap back. The ball fell to the ground to be snapped up by flank Gerard Swart who crossed to score. 14-10.
Luckily for Glenwood, the momentum that had been Grey's gradually waned.
Outside centre Kennedy pulled off a brilliant tackle on a breakaway and Hardmann and Whitely played like men possessed.
The final whistle saw the green-blazered Glenwood troops surge across the Dixons turf to salute their heroes with the Grey's XV becoming the central core of ring after ring of boys as united in defeat as in victory.
This brought to an end a classic schoolboy rugby game filled with passion and commitment from both sides witnessed by 5000 privileged spectators.
Scorers:
For Glenwood:
Tries: Warren Whitely, Ian Adfendorff
Cons: Ian Adendorfff 2
For Grey:
Tries: Robert Eberson, Gerard Swart