Klipfontein United won the battle and the war on their home ground but could not prevent Rosebuds from earning a crucial bonus point in their Sedru regional rugby fixture on Saturday.
Klipfontein’s 17-12 victory was a well-deserved one, but littered with numerous handling errors that saw them fall short of a bonus point victory themselves that would have put them in pole position in the title race. However, it must be said there were handling errors aplenty from both sides. Rosebuds earned a bonus point for losing by less than 7 points.
And it was not only coaches who were almost pulling their hair out from the sidelines as crucial passes were dropped – some just short of the tryline – but also Klipfontein’s legion of fans who packed the perimeter of the field.
It is a neck-and-neck race between Rosebuds, Valencia Barbarians and Klipfontein for the regional league title and with only two fixtures left to play this weekend, having dropped or conceded points was not ideal for any of the teams.
The teams sized each other up like two boxers at the sound of the opening whistle with both resorting to a kicking game and playing it safe out of their 22m. The Klipfontein scrum dominated their Alicedale opponents early on which helped the home team edge their rivals in the possession stakes.
Klipfontein opened the scoring following a pulsating backline move that saw wing Ryniel Coltman dive over the Rosebuds’ tryline with the conversion missed from a tight angle. Tackling from both sides was ferocious with the referee having to stop the game periodically so that injured players could be attended to.
The Alicedale eight started working well together and were coming back in to it which evened things out at scrum time.
The game despite the odd exciting backline move, continued to be a scrappy affair that had the referee halting matters with frequent shrills of the whistle. Rosebuds’ with their renowned fighting spirit, meant they were not going to back off, launching attacks in to the opposition’s half and defending like tigers when they had to.
Klipfontein made plenty of forays in to the Rosebuds’ 22m area but were guilty of dropping the ball from the hand too often.
The halftime score of 5-0 was not a true reflection of what could have been if chances were taken.
Ten minutes in to the second half, Klipfontein came under sustained pressure from Rosebuds only inches from their tryline. The home team won the ball back from a loose maul before being hoofed downfield with fullback Sherwin Canon eventually getting his hands on the ball to run through for a converted try under the posts.
However, Rosebuds were not to be denied a score when Diano Kock forced his way over Klipfontein’s tryline in the 21st minute for an unconverted try (12-5).
Persistent pressure from Klipfontein’s forwards saw flanker, Denver Hitzeroth, diving over for his team’s second unconverted try after a scrum close to the Rosebuds tryline, that put his team in to a 17-5 lead.
Klipfontein were going all out for a bonus point try (4th try) which they felt they were cruelly denied about 10 minutes from the final whistle when Ryniel Coltman expertly gathered a high ball before feeding it in one movement inside to fullback, Sherwin Canon, who collected and ran like the wind towards an open tryline. Much to the coaches and fans’s anger, Canon was stopped in his tracks by the ref’s whistle as he had earlier been flagged by the linesman for overstepping the line for a Rosebuds lineout.
The Alicedale outfit showed plenty of heart as five minutes before fulltime they barged towards their opponents’ tryline only to be “held up”. The ball emerged from the melee on the Klipfontein side with a player hoofing an awkwardly bouncing ball in to the hands of approaching Rosebuds player, Elgin Buys, who went over for a gift score, reducing the score to 17-12 after a successful conversion .
The final whistle sounded soon afterwards. Klipfontein had won but Rosebuds’ late score meant they had earned an important bonus point which could prove to be significant.
Klipfontein’s head coach Sheldrid Canon said they were hoping for a bonus point victory because of the tight finish to the title race for the three teams at the summit.
“With the dominance we showed … territory, possession the whole lot, we should have had a bonus point … and it should have been a much bigger victory.
Canon agreed the match had too many handling errors, which at times seems to be a problem across the league.
“The funny thing is we have spent two weeks on handling skills … and today with open try lines two or three times we seem to drop the ball. It is either the passing or the catching. We will work on it, but yes, it is a concern.
“Franklin Meyer in the forwards and Ryniel Coltman on the wing were our men of the match for me.”
Rosebuds coach Brendon Claassen said it was a “tough game” but was upbeat about having come away with a bonus point despite the loss.
“Rosebuds needed the point … we are now on top of the log ahead of our last game; it was a great season for our guys so far.
“The guys have been more committed this season … and more disciplined. We made a few mistakes but our guys really played well and with heart. Both sides made a lot of [handling] errors because it being a pressure game both sides forced each other in to errors. Eighthman Nico Kock is my man of the match.”
The outcome of this weekend’s matches between Klipfontein and Alderonians and Ndlambe Tigers and Rosebuds (both away) will go a long way to deciding the 2024 title.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, August 29, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
