Kowie United RFC’s chances of securing an Adams Cup quarterfinal spot may not be encouraging but they showed what they are capable of when they overpowered Kariega opponents, Kabah United, 64-11 at Station Hill Fields on Saturday.
Kowie United were clinical as they were ruthless, in the one-sided affair that left their opponents and management scratching heads for answers to the sustained onslaught.
Kabah were just no match for the Port Alfred team who crossed their opponents try line at will in a 10-try scoring spree that had local fans who came out in big number, roaring with delight.
Kowie United were rushed in to the Adams Cup mid-season after team management launched a dispute against their initial omission – challenging their final log position in the Sedru first league last season. EPRU made an about-turn and eventually granted the team a place in the Adams Cup.
The home side made all the running straight after Saturday’s kick-off. Ten minutes had hardly elapsed when flanker, Athie Gwente, dotted down with the conversion going over from crowd favourite, flyhalf, Mason Brooks. The No.10 was the outstanding player on the park, always looking to make play and encouraging his teammates at the same time. He hardly put a foot wrong with kicking duties.
Then followed a 50-22 kick from Brooks that resulted in a Kowie lineout about 10m from Kabah’s tryline – the forward pack with prop, Misko Gqokoma, and hooker Mphumezi Mbundwini prominent, hung on to the ball before crashing over the try line. With the penalty going wide, it was 12-0 before Kabah slotted a second penalty through flyhalf, Johnwin Daniels (12-6).
Then came a bit of individual brilliance by Brooks, who after receiving a bouncing ball, kicked ahead, and gathered it before the chasing Kabah pack could get to him and darted in for the score. That took the score to 19-3 with the conversion missed.
United’s No 8, John Mthembu, was a force at scrum time for Kowie United while the front three combined well to push Kabah off their feet in the tight and loose. Kabah, however, did not stand back in tackles made, that came in hard and fast from both sides – with play being stopped a few times as players hobbled off or received treatment.
Mtembu who was all over the park dotted down, in the 29th minute with Brooks converting (26-3).
Kowie were now firing all cylinders and once Brooks again got his hands on the ball, he moved it through the forwards who stormed over the tryline with Gqokoma emerging from the bottom of it with ball in hand. The successful conversion meant the sides went in to halftime with the score 33-6 to Kowie.
At the start of the second half it was one-way traffic. Brooks, despite an outstanding first half, was subbed for the second half as coach, Nathan Hilpert, gave Gareth Smith a chance at flyhalf.
Kabah had no answer to Kowie United’s onslaught as the home team put the ball through the hands constantly to have the opposition on the back foot. Kabah’s defence put in a tough shift with fullback W. Philander, No 10 Daniels, and backrower, J. Daniels, standing firm when defending their half of the field.
It was’t long before scrumhalf Enzo Swarts try in the 54th minute signalled an opening of the floodgates. With that try, the score had moved to 38-6 in favour of Kowie. Then followed another score and conversion (45-6) before Kabah finally responded with a well worked try by the forwards to move the score to 48-11.
Mthembu followed up with a well worked try put over by Smith (52-11) before further tries in the 39th minute and a last-minute converted try by wing Shaun Arends mere seconds before the final whistle, fanned out the final score to 64-11. This brought the curtain down on a try-scoring feast that delighted the crowd and ended the agony for Kabah.
And in another Adams cup fixture, Klipfontein United are on their way to a home quarterfinal after beating Glen Roses 31-10 at the Adcock Stadium in Gqeberha, also on Saturday.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, September 11, 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
