A packed Wentzel Park stadium was the stage for heroism and heartbreak last Saturday as Alexandria’s pride, Trying Stars, faced Fort Beaufort United in the Eastern Cape Super 14 Rugby Competition semifinal. A late second-half penalty that could have clinched Trying Stars’ place in the final was controversially ruled wide of the posts.
Trying Stars undoubtedly were in control in the first half of the game, with a solid but slow-footed Fort Beaufort United foiled at every attempt. At half-time the score was 13-0 in favour of Stars.
The second half was a different story, as the KwaMaqoma side found their mojo and drove wave after wave of sheer force towards the goal line in an extraordinary comeback.
Trying Stars’ supporters were in turn astonished, then outraged late in the second half as a penalty kick by Garth Oosthuisen at what appeared to be an unassailable 77 minutes was ruled wide of the posts by the referee – a decision that the linesman confirmed.
The final score remained a heartbreakingly close 15-13 in favour of Fort Beaufort United, making Maqoma’s warriors the first wildcard in the Super 14 to fight through six weeks and 30 matches to a final.
For Trying Stars, it was a pill made all the more bitter to swallow after the previous week’s elation at the same venue: Trying Stars had outplayed KwaNobuhle’s Star of Hope by 38-33, to reach a EC Super 14 semifinal for the first time in the Alexandria club’s history.
Coach Alan Cannon, determined that his players should hold their heads high, said after their tw-point loss to Fort Beaufort United last week, “Unfortunately we lost the game today. It’s a heartbreaking story, but we have to go on.
“We were actually in charge of the game for most of the first half; but in the second half, certain decisions of the ref didn’t go our way. Nothing we did in the first half was legal in the second half according to the ref. So we had a really tough time.
“The last penalty that would have sealed the game, the referee and the linesman ruled it out. I would like to see the footage of that. To be out of the tournament like this for the players who have sacrificed so much is heartbreaking.
“Ja, we need to pick ourselves up after this. They are a good team and we worked very hard for this but at the end of the day the officials have the final say.
“But that’s the thing we have to overcome – we have to move forward from here and we are grateful we had the opportunity to take part in the tournament.
“But we have to take a rest now and start preparing for the Grand Challenge. That will be tough and we have to pick the guys up and prepare them mentally.
Cannon later confirmed that Trying Stars have lodged a dispute with the Eastern Province Rugby Union as well as the Super 14 tournament steering committee.
Trying Stars scored two tries (prop Migeal Cannon and Lucian Milborow) and one penalty (Millborrow). The penalty that was denied was taken by Garth Oosthuisen.
Head coach of Fort Beaufort United Loyiso Bosman said, “First of all I would like to thank the Trying Stars – the management and players – for welcoming us and giving us a good game of rugby.
“We really didn’t show up in the first half – we made a lot of mistakes that left us 13-0 down at halftime. But at halftime me and my co-coach had a chat with the boys and said, “We’ve got 40 minutes and we can come back in that time.
“Luckily for us, it worked: the boys carried out the plans that we practiced during the week and we came out the winners at the end of the day.
“We’re looking forward to the final next week, but before that we have to go back to training and put in more work, fix our mistakes, more energy, more execution in our play so that we ensure another victory.
FBU tries in last Saturday’s match were Vuyisani Mavuso (hooker) and eighth man Monwabisi Mkhwakhwi.
In the other seminfinal Progress, playing at home in Kariega, beat Old Selbornians 47-21.
The venue for the final between Fort Beaufort United and Progress is scheduled for 5pm on Saturday March 15 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
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- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, March 13, 2025. 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.
