Port Natal, George Campbell in Final

Unbeaten George Campbell and hosts Port Natal finished in log positions one and two respectively and have as a result progressed to the Night Series Final to be played on Friday, 24 February.

George Campbell were made to work extremely hard for an 8-6 victory in their final round encounter against defending champions Northwood.

Billed as semifinal match of sorts, due to its winner guaranteed a place in the final status, the low scoring game kept the large crowd on the edge of their seats until dying minutes and the outcome could quite easily have gone the other way.

George Campbell started the game at a very high tempo. It took Northwood almost five minutes to get their hands on the ball for the first time.

During this period, Campbell used their quick backline to maximum effect. Fullback Mazibuko stood out in particular. His good footwork coupled with bursts of pace, dazzled spectators as he comfortably evaded first-time tacklers and punched holes in the Northwood defence, in an almost effortless looking manner.

However Northwood were not to be outdone. They had clearly lifted their game since their round-four defeat earlier in the week. Showing far higher levels of commitment and a lot more determination, they were quick to reorganise their defensive structures once their first line had been breached. In so doing they prevented Campbell from capitalising on recycled ball, often stopping them shy of the gainline or applying enough pressure to bring about unforced errors in the process.

Once Northwood settled into a pattern of their own, one sensed that this game was going to be an evenly matched fight to the end. Northwood captain and centre Worthington proved to be a fine example to his teammates on the night.

George Campbell also made life very difficult for themselves at times during the game. Their decision-making often kept them on the back-foot and nearly even cost them the game in the end. Decisions like choosing to run the ball from deep, when clearing it would have been a far safer option as well as deciding to either punt penalties into touch or run them, rather than going for poles, all showed wonderful festival-type rugby spirit from this exciting team. However the crux of the matter remained - this was essentially a knockout game - meaning turn every chance on offer into points and keep the opposition out of point-scoring range. 

Northwood struck first blood just before the half-time hooter when Campbell was pinged for encroaching within 10-metres before the line-out was over. Fullback Hlongwa slotted the kick from a difficult angle for a 3-0 lead.

George Campbell equalised within the first 10 minutes of the second half with a 35-metre penalty of their own, compliments of flashy left wing Ntombela.

5 minutes later Northwood regained the lead when Hlongwa put over a penalty, basically resulting from an earlier Campbell error that handed Northwood a good field position.

With 7 minutes left on the clock, Campbell lock de Sousa stepped up to be involved in two big plays that turned out to change the course of the game for good. First of all the number two jumper did extremely well to win a ball at the front of an attacking line-out. Captain van der Westhuizen then featured prominently in Campbell's repeated assaults on the goal-line from rucks. The Campbell pack displayed good handling, composure and recycling technique in the red zone. After several attempts to cross the chalk had been thwarted by the Northwood defence, de Sousa managed to cork-screw his way over for the vital try. The missed conversion meant the score remained at 8-6 in Campbell's favour.

The drama was not over though. When the game came down to a Northwood penalty kick at goal 3-minutes from full-time, some of those earlier decisions not to take shots at goal, almost came back to haunt Campbell. The usually reliable Hlongwa stepped up to take the 35-metre kick that would have put Northwood 9-8 ahead and probably into the final. Unfortunately the pressure took its toll on the young man's composure and he hooked the mistimed kick. 

It ended at 8-6 shortly thereafter.

In the main game of the evening Port Natal, much as anticipated, clinched their place in the final when they downed Pinetown 22-0. Porties had started the evening in third place with 14 log points, 1 behind Northwood and once it was confirmed that Northwood had lost, the White Knights merely needed a win to leapfrog Northwood and finish second on the log.

From the first kickoff, Porties signaled their intentions and immediately went on attack, coming within metres of scoring in the opening minute. Sustained pressure resulted in first half tries for flyhalf Janse-van Rensburg and centre Pieterse, which helped Port Natal to a 17-0 lead at the break. Hooker Nolan added a further try in the second half.

By making the final, the Porties first XV players had earned the right to wear their traditional white jerseys for the first time this season. If Port Natal's previous match-up, which ended 8-6 in favour of George Campbell, is anything to go by, this should be another tough contest.

Port Natal's victory was also good news for the Glenwood Invitational XV. Their bonus point win earned against the courageous Durban Development XV in the earlier game proved to be enough to see them finish above Pinetown and set up a rematch against Northwood in the 3rd/4th play-off game.

Pinetown will now meet the Durban Development XV in the 5th/6th-place play-off.

The action kicks off at 16.00 on Friday, 24 February at Port Natal High School with the final set to begin at 20.00.

This well-organised rugby tournament in a very pleasant, friendly setting with good food (and drink) has proven to be well worth the effort for supporters and parents of the various schools as well as neutral schools rugby lovers to attend.

By Beet

Results:

Round 3 - Friday, 17 February

2nd XVs
Northwood vs Pinetown, 26-10
George Campbell vs Port Natal, 10-0

From Roberto Cameron