Mixed results on an emotional day
Benoni Rugby Club finally hosted their first home game of the season, on the Hoërskool Hans Moore grounds, on Saturday, May 30.
The club’s first and second XVs experienced two narrow defeats, while the u-21 team secured a run-away victory against their Sasolburg opponents, in what was an emotional day for the u-21s.
The team have dedicated their season to Dewalt “Poenie” Visser, who was murdered along with his father in 2013, and who was part of this team from his early school days.
The team presented his mother and brothers with a special jersey, which will be used to play for the remainder of the season, as a tribute to their late team-mate
On the field of play, the u-21s dominated their match against Sasolburg and ran in 14 tries in a 75-5 demolition job of the team who are top of the league.
In the first team clash, the Benoni team were defeated by a single point (24-25).
This, after the team were 15-7 in the lead at the half-time break, with winger Armo Fourie and flanker Riaan Matthee dotting down in the first half for Benoni.
It looked like Benoni’s campaign would finally take off in this match, but it was Sasolburg who came back strongly in the second half, scoring two quick tries in succession to take the lead to 15-19 within the first 20 minutes of the second half.
From there on in, it would be penalties that decided the game as each team received their chances.
Benoni took the lead 24-22 in the 70th minute, through Marius Bezuidenhout’s penalties, but it was Sasolburg who received a penalty in the last minute of the game, to take the win out of Benoni’s hands.
The second team experienced a similar fate against Sasolburg.
They were leading the game for most of the time, only to lose in the last minute, after a late Sasolburg try made it 21-24.
The club’s next games will be played against Nigel, at home, on Saturday, June 6.
