Tough night in the Cape Town rain
The Steinhoff UCT Internal League was greeted by a light shower of rain. It did not, however, have any effect on the pitch as teams where determined to slug it out and gain the advantage over their opponents!
The clash of the week saw the star-studded Cobras team played against a similarly star-studded Magic Lions outfit - better known as the MOB (Marquard Old Boys).
The Cobras line-up consisted of some big names such as Ollie Braithewaite, Dugald Macdonald Junior, Ian 'Army' Armstrong, Warren Butler and Luke du Plessis, former Springbok captain Morne du Plessis's son.
The MOB had their gameplan worked out as they brought out their own big guns, with Rob Nichol and brother in arms Big Will Nichol, Blaine Moolman and Xhanti Nesi leading by example. The match was a fiercely-contested event as tackles flew in left, right and centre!
Both teams had something to prove to each other on the night... The MOB had the better forwards on the night as this was seen by them dominating the Cobras scrum, but the latter had a very impressive backs division - all of which made it so interesting to watch.
The Cobras showed their experience throughout the game, playing the ball from left to right and kicking for territorial advantage, something the MOB did not do and it was understandable why.
The first try came in the 20th minute of the match with Cobras scrumhalf Graham Steen pouncing on anMOB mistake to score in the corner, and Warren Butler putting over the conversion. With Cobras in the lead, the MOB had to score early - and this they did. Devin Dollery caught the Cobras defence napping and took full advantage to score under the posts.
The match grew more intense, at 7-7, and something had to give. It was the MOB side that made the mistake, gifting a penalty to the Cobras. Warren Butler calmly slotted home the ensuing goal and gave his team the lead.
Was that to be it, or would there be another twist in this epic saga? The MOB kept attacking with their forwards and gained a penalty for their efforts. They opted for the lineout - but it was the incorrect error as they lost the ball and, thereby the match 7-10, with the Cobras winning and topping their pool in the process.
Other matches on the evening saw the Turtles scoring in the dying minutes to win the match 17-15 against a well-disciplined Kopano team and the on-fire Wild Boys trashed Catsville CPUT 44-0 - the biggest victory of the season thus far.
Last year's losing finalists, Ikhaya, started off well against Smuts, who soon composed themselves and defended like demons. Smuts' flyhalf was their standout player on the night, but he could not stop his team losing 0-10. Ubumbo, meanwhile, came away with a hard-fought 14-7 win against Claredon and Spanners walked away 19-6 victors over College House.
Click HERE for the full log standings on the official UCT website.
By Clement le Roux