Kingswood win College derby

The match-up between the two sides is always a great occasion in the small town. The derby match has a proud tradition, going back nearly 80 years. The first two fixtures in 1938 and 1939 were both draws, and Graeme then drew first blood in 1940 with a 3-0 win.

The Kingswood teams were very much favourites in the 2016 edition, giving their first XV great season thus far Graeme knew they had their work cut out for them on the day.

That in itself, seemed to be all the motivation Graeme needed, and were certainly keen to battle it out on the rugby field.

It was a game that could’ve gone either way at times but Kingswood eventually ran out 26-19 winners.

In the first half the Kingswood team crossed the line twice – both times the backline showing their worth with good skills and pace to finish off.  One of the tries was converted, but Graeme had managed to stay in the hunt with two penalties from the boot of Sivu Ngqiyaza.  

Kingswood had a much bigger side and even though the Graemians showed tremendous heart, it often meant the Kingswood got good front foot ball to work with.  

At half time, Kingswood led 12-6 and the game was still there for the taking by either team.

Graeme started the second half very well by applying some pressure of their own.  Kingswood had a scrum on their own try line, but Graeme managed to get the scrum timing perfect, which meant they won a tight head resulting in a Graeme try by captain Ntsika Ndungane. The try was converted as Graeme went into the lead for the first time, 13-12.  

Kingswood then kept their hands on the ball for long periods of time, which led to another converted try.  Graeme struck back with two penalties, taking the score to 19-19 with 10 minutes left on the clock.

The derby was brilliantly poised with both sets of spectators on the edge of their seats.  

Again Kingswood managed to keep the ball, and with Graeme missing a few key opportunities to clear their line, the pressure mounted on them.

Kingswood eventually crashed over for the try, again taking the lead 26-19.  

Graeme didn’t give up as they came close to scoring one of their own in the corner as winger Azizipho Mngcongo was bundled into touch after a superb run down the touchline.

The score-line was probably a fair reflection of the game, and Kingswood had to fight hard to earn the win on the day. They were good value for the win, and many teams would not have come through the character test that Graeme had delivered on the day.

Graeme always knew they would be up against it in the first XV match, as they were taking on a Kingswood team who had had a very good season to date.  

After the match Graeme coach, Jonty van der Meulen, said:  "This helped to motivate the Graeme side as they matched up and on occasions even bettered the Kingswood team in a number of departments,"