Tygers earn their strypes…just!
The margin might not have been all that convincing and they were outscored by four tries to three, but Tygerberg ultimately deserved their 22-20 win away to Swartland in Malmesbury on Saturday 4 August 2012.
This season has seen the long-suffering Tygers supporters bulk-buying pacemakers, so frequent have been the heart-stopping moments that they have had to endure in a rollercoaster season in which they have, for example, beaten Paul Roos at the Markotter, yet lost to minnows Dirkie Uys.
This game neatly encapsulated the best and worst of their fortunes as they ran up a 22-5 lead before the break, only to find themselves just two points ahead nine minutes into the second half.
Despite a promising start in which they moved straight onto the offensive, the hosts found themselves 0-3 down when Morné Kotze, scrumhalf on the day, slotted a penalty in the eighth minute.
However, left wing Alvin Felix dashed over in the corner to put the Rockies on the board at 5-3 eleven minutes later.
Any hopes the locals might have entertained of a resurgence were dealt a triple blow when the Tygers ran in their three tries in a devastating four minute period just before the change-over.
First long-striding left wing Shane Grundlingh notched his 19th five-pointer of 2012 when he outpaced a hesitant defence to dot down in the corner.
Hardly two minutes later a dreadful mix-up behind the posts saw several Swartland players apparently leave the ball to each other to dot down. While they dithered, Tygerberg flyhalf Hanston Fielies gleefully snatched the ball to score. Kotze’s conversion extended the visitors lead to 15-5.
Another misunderstanding, somewhat abetted by a cruel bounce of the ball, gave Kotze an opportunity he could scarcely believe and he placed the ball under the crossbar to give himself an easy conversion. Tygerberg 22 Swartland 5.
Swartland weren’t about to toss the towel in just yet and were rewarded with a try at the posts by tall flank Johan du Toit. Flyhalf Chemandré van Schalkwyk made a calamitous hash of the simple conversion and half-time came with the Rockies trailing 10-22.
Within twelve minutes of the restart burly tight-head Estevan Janse van Rensburg had added two more tries to the home side’s tally, but any hopes of squaring matters were dashed by another wayward conversion attempt from, let’s say, a relatively favourable position.
Both sides predictably threw everything including several different styles of kitchen sink into the fray for the rest of the game without either really looking like scoring. That Tygerberg couldn’t increase their lead in this period was due in equal measure to a tendency to run laterally and a frighteningly ruthless Swartland defence.
The high point of proceedings from a home point of view was the appearance for the last fifteen minutes of talismanic centre Duncan Matthews, playing his first competitive rugby in close to fifteen months.
His influence was muted, not so much by his not being quite match-fit (as was the visitors’ juggernaut Edwin Sass), but more by an evident lack of communication with his new team-mates.
Tygers’ coach Craig Hale was enormously relieved that his charges could put together a second win in virtually as many days. His is, for the most part, a very young outfit – and one that really missed injured scrumhalf TJ Goddard.
The fact that they managed to cope without him is something from which they will take great strength. It will really be a treat to see these Tygers roaring back in their customary style !
By Tony Stoops