Westville beat Glenwood
Westville beat Glenwood 13-9 in front of a full house on Bowdens, their home-ground.
As expected, it was a physical game.
On the day both teams had their different strengths and weaknesses, yet as overall packages they were still two very evenly matched teams.
The game started very brightly for Glenwood. The interplay amongst their backs was executed at a furious pace and was often accompanied by touches of individual brilliance. Here elusive Glenwood fullback Makasi stood out for his well-timed step-and-go runs.
As a result of the early domination Glenwood were full value for their 6-0 lead after 10 minutes. This opening period was however also to be Glenwood's best patch during the match. Westville gradually settled and slowly but surely started to wrestle the initiative away from the visitors.
By the 16th minute Westville were on the scoreboard compliments of a 40-metre Snyman penalty, making it 6-3.
Glenwood were still looking dangerous at times and when they moved the ball quickly to their midfielders Marwana and Coulson, the two combined well to set up the field position for a third penalty by Potgieter on the 20-minute mark.
Those nine points in the 9-3 lead marked the end of Glenwood's scoring for the afternoon. Westville's stubborn defence particularly on their own goalline kept the visitors scoreless for the remaining 50-minutes.
Throughout the game the breakdowns were fiercely contested and both sets of forwards were very combative. Attempts to make ground around the fringes of rucks were also met by stiff resistance. With the two packs constantly cancelling each other out, it had become so difficult to gain the upper hand in the tight loose, that it seemed like the key to cracking the opponents' defensive was going to come from a move wider out or from broken play and this it did.
A number of the Westville backs are young and inexperienced. They may not have that same flair that their opponents displayed quite yet nevertheless these same Westville youngsters play with a great deal of maturity, coolness and understanding. These factors were very evident in their intelligent decision-making and in the way they worked the ball through the hands.
The match changing breakthrough two-thirds of the way into the first half came about as a result of the efforts of one such youngster. Keegan Paverd didn't get many touches during the game but every time the ball came his way the left wing made the most of his opportunities. Simply put, he was brilliant on the day.
Westville's fielding and counteracting from many of the seemingly aimless big up-field clearance kick had been trustworthy without being spectacular all game long. However when one such clearance kick failed to find the safety of touch, Snyman collected and fed Paverd. The wing then easily beat the first line of defence and his assertive run laid the platform for a ruck just a few metres out from the Glenwood line. From here the ball quickly moved through two sets of hands to it's final recipient, a rampaging Andre de le Rey, who stylishly powered his way over in the left-hand corner for a memorable try.
Snyman converted to put Westville ahead by 10-9 for the first time in the 24th minute.
The hosts could well have extended this lead when Buthelezi made a clean break a few minutes later. He spurned the chance by not making sure his final pass to a team mate rushing up on his outside went to hand, otherwise the effort would surely have resulted in another 7-pointer.
The teams changed ends with the score at 10-9.
In an ironic twist, despite the last minute reshuffle caused by the withdrawal of one of their props, the Glenwood scrum has never looked stronger in recent times. Although Glenwood weren't able to shove their opponents off the ball, they exerted so much pressure in the front-row, that Westville were not able to hook the ball back. Glenwood won their first tighthead shortly before the intermission and this trend continued in the second half. The Green Machine was so dominant in this set-piece and must have won at least four more tightheads in the second half.
Apart from the props, a lot of the scrumming credit had to go to big hooker Westman who had been drafted into the team at a late stage. The decision to make Westman the line-out thrower backfired badly though. A combination of miscommunication, inaccuracy and excellent contesting by Westville's locks ensured that Glenwood had an absolute mare at line-out time.
By contrast, Westville who had been dogged by poor line-out work in 2011, were outstanding in this department during the game. They made use of their prop Downer for throw-ins and locks Eibig and Bezuidenhout could be proud of their work.
For the most part, the second half proved to not be as lively as the first one. Mistakes crept in and neither team seemed willing to give the other an inch of room. Westville had done well to force Glenwood to play outside their comfort zone and to neutralise their strengths. They were also able to match Glenwood's high level of fitness.
When Potgieter spun a skip pass to the right that landed way behind his teammates in no man's land, it was evident just how much confidence and direction both he and his fellow backs had lost over the course of the game as a result of the pressure being placed on them.
The only points scored in the second half were from Ellse's boot in the 14th minute after Glenwood had conceded a penalty via a line-out infringement.
This extended the lead to 13-9.
A little bit of energy then went out of the game for a while.
Just when it seemed like Westville were going to defend their slim lead with the clock ticking down, Glenwood picked up their game and launched a massive assault.
This ensured one of the most thrilling finishes imaginable.
Glenwood camped down in the Westville red zone and threw everything they had at Westville in their endevours to score the winning try.
Westville's Trojan-like defence stood firm and they recorded an outstanding win.
It was clear just how much the result meant to both schools at the final whistle. The Westville boys on the stands were overcome with joy while Glenwood's usually vocal support base sat motionless and silent.
The match itself was a wonderful, uncompromisingly tough contest of first team rugby. Despite all the events that took place off the field in the lead up to the match, the game proved to be a fine example of the spirit of good sportsmanship. The supporters, both young and old have every reason to be proud of their players' conduct and hard work.
The teams:
Westville: 15 L Snyman, 14 W Ndlovu, 13 B Ellse, 12 S Mchunu, 11 K Paverd, 10 D Rust, 9 R McHardy, 8 T Ngcongo (captain), 7 E Niel, 6 A De La Rey, 5 N Le Roux, 4 C Eibig, 3 N Mxoli, 2 J Buthelezi, 1 M Downer.
Glenwood: 15 U Makasi, 14 S Ngcobo, 13 D Coulson, 12 N Marwana, 11 S Tom, 10 W Potgieter, 9 M Mkhabela, 8 C Swart, 7 R Kay, 6 V Mthembu, 5 W Mazibuko, 4 S Ngxabi, 3 S Pina, 2 K Westman, 1 M Worral-Clare.
By Beet