PBHS win Classic Clash from behind
In the first FNB Classic Clash of 2012 Pretoria Boys High beat King Edward VII School 21-17 in Houghton, Johannesburg, on a lovely Saturday afternoon after a night of rain. They came from well behind to do so.
For the first quarter of the game the big KES pack was well on top and built a 10-0 lead. It would have been a lot more but for the tenacity of the Pretoria Boys defence.
Flank Dudley Stead scored the first KES try, converted by flyhalf Marco Engelbrecht who kicked a penalty goal to give his side a 10-0 lead with every prospect of increasing it.
But then Pretoria Boys came back and the line-out was to prove their best launching pad. From a line-out eighthman Matthew Schiff scored his side's first try which flyhalf Kevin Twiname, who kicked brilliantly on the afternoon converted.
That made the half-time score 10-7 in the favour of the home side but it would be a long time before they scored again.
The second Pretoria Boys try came from a line-out as the forwards drove ahead till hooker Jan van der Merwe broke away and scored in the left corner. Again Kevin Twiname converted, and Pretoria Boys led 14-10.
Now the visitors had their tails up and tore into the home side. From a line-out they bashed at KES till flank Ngoako Ralepelle scored. It did not matter that it was far out, for again Twiname converted.
Just before the end Marco Engelbrecht broke and scored under the posts. He converted, leaving Pretoria Boys 21-17 winners.
On the day there were 27 rugby matches and 16 hockey matches between the two schools. KES won 14 rugby matches, Pretoria Boys 13, and both schools look forward to the rematches in Pretoria later in the year.
The scorers:
For King Edward VII School:
Tries: Dudley Stead, Marco Engelbrecht
Cons: Engelbrecht 2
Pen: Engelbrecht
For Pretoria Boys High:
Tries: Matthew Schiff, Jan van der Merwe, Ngoako Ralepelle
Cons: Kevin Twiname 3
The teams:
King Edward VII School: 15 G Ramaboea, 14 Z Ncube, 13 B Thomson, 12 W Maholwana, 11 B Janse van Rensburg, 10 M Engelbrecht, 9 A McQuire, 8 S De Robillard, 7 D Stead, 6 K Melville, 5 C Brink, 4 C Brockschmidt, 3 C Lourens, 2 M Marx, 1 D Smith (captain).
Pretoria Boys High: 15 L Stevenson, 14 C Ndonga, 13 C Anthony (captain), 12 N Smith, 11 W Dunkley, 10 K Twiname, 9 K Pieterse, 8 M Schiff, 7 P Makgaba, 6 N Ralepelle, 5 D van Straaten, 4 W Scott, 3 S Barber, 2 J van der Merwe, 1 C Kabeya.