Hugenote dazzle Drostdy
Saturday, 26 May, 2012 is a day that will live long in the memories of Wellington rugby followers as the day their team, Hugenote, effectively humiliated their nationally-ranked Worcester neighbours, HTS Drostdy, 23-13.
The Donkeys traversed the mountains as firm favourites. Their leviathan pack far outweighed that of their hosts and the recent 39-10 destruction of Bishops in Cape Town was fresh in their minds. To their credit they displayed no arrogance whatsoever, but the expectation of another victory was almost palpable amongst their supporters.
What they hadn't reckoned on was a team that surpassed their already heroic efforts this season, disrupting the visitors' pattern until it lay in pieces and then having the audacity to dictate play for just about the entire match.
Fortunately for the Blackies, the light drizzle before the game gave way to such warm sunshine that the playing surface was not the treacherous, slippery one that the locals had feared.
The early exchanges were fairly even and it was not until the 15th minute that the bright new electronic scoreboard was set into motion, Drostdy flyhalf Kelly Olivier slotting a comfortable penalty to give his side the lead for the only time they were to enjoy it.
His Blackies counterpart Nelius Hauptfleisch missed an attempt shortly thereafter, but did put Hugenote on the board in the 23rd minute when a thundering charge by loosehead Billy Viljoen led to a penalty at the ensuing ruck (3-3).
By now Hugenote's self-belief was growing visibly and captain Gideon Koegelenberg led a storming assault on the Drostdy 22m area, only for a turn-over at the ruck to repel the would-be boarders.
The moment that the majority of the enthusiastic crowd had been waiting for occurred on the stroke of half-time. Criminally underrated outside centre Pieter-André Coetzee sliced through the Drostdy backline from 40 metres out before sending fullback Daylan Samuels in for the simplest of touchdowns in the left-hand corner. Hauptfleisch made the conversion look simple and the hosts led 10-3.
Any thoughts of a revival by a somewhat shellshocked Donkeys team were dealt two swift decisive blows in the early stages of the second period.
Firstly, five minutes in, Hauptfleisch made it 13-3, setting the stage for the match-defining moment two minutes later. Juggernaut Donkeys loosehead Wilco Louw found himself unceremoniously robbed of the ball in the Drostdy 22m area by Blackies lock Philip Veldsman who handed it on to fellow second-rower Koegelenberg who forced himself over next to the uprights from several metres out with three opponents desperately trying to bring him down.
Hauptfleisch duly made it 20-3 and, although Olivier soon reduced that to 20-6 with a penalty, things were taking a downhill course for the scarlet-and-whites.
At the point where they had finally worked out an alternative strategy, Drostdy lost a backline player midway through the half for ten minutes for kneeing an opponent. Truth be told, they were exceptionally lucky not to have another three-quarter red-carded when he spear-tackled Hugenote No.8 Larry Maralack right in front of the referee.
With the visitors showing more and more pluck as the half progressed, Hauptfleisch put paid to any thoughts of a revival when he stretched the lead to seventeen points (23-6) via a 40 metre penalty with twelve minutes to go.
Six minutes from time the sheer size of the Donkeys' eight did finally tell when Louw barreled his way over from close range for Olivier to make it 23-13, but fine tactical kicking by Hauptfleisch, made easy by the meticulous service provided throughout by half back partner Wicus Swiegers, ensured that the home line was never under threat in the closing stages. Final score Hugenote 23 HTS Drostdy 13.
Certain names crop up time after time in reports regarding this Hugenote unit, unbeaten in 2012 in the 70-minute format. They would doubtless modestly concede that they are just the lucky ones in the right place when needed. Maybe es in a combination of these two thoughts. This is not, however, a group of individual stars, it is a galaxy all on its own created by master tactician Lance Sendin.
If you do not avail yourself of the opportunity to see them in action, you are definitely denying yourself an enriching experience. On the subject of which, they face Schoonspruit at the Wesbank grounds in Malmesbury on 2 June.
Drostdy coaches Hein Matthee and André Cilliers had nothing but praise for their conquerors, the latter noting that this would serve as a timely warning of their vulnerability to his youngsters.
Talismanic captain Izak Burger did not play due to a bout of flu and scrumhalf Chriswill September had to be replaced by reserve halfback Gilbert Abrahams in the opening minutes when he sustained a shoulder injury, but the Donkeys were both gracious and realistic enough to concede that these setbacks would in all likelihood not have influenced the result.
Wherever your heart lay, it would have been warmed by this riveting encounter.