Extra time heartbreak
Brakpan Rugby Club’s first XV were looking to make history and qualify for the final when they squared up against the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in the semi-finals of the cross-border Predator League, on Saturday, August 17.

The match was played away from the Bosman Stadium at the University of Johannesburg; the first of two semi-finals played at the same venue on the day.
The second semi-final was a contest between Raiders and Rustenburg Impala, which was won by Raiders.
The “Panne” started poorly in the opening stages of the match and went behind 20-3 in no time.
The students had obviously done their homework and prevented “Panne” from using their dangerous line-outs and the rolling mauls that have become a feature of the team’s recent performances.
Brakpan, however, fought back in the match and, when the referee blew the whistle at fulltime, the teams were even at 20-20.
This meant that the teams had to play two halves of extra time of 20 minutes each way.
Brakpan fought hard and with two minutes to go in the second period of extra-time were leading 23-20 when they lost a crucial scrum that created an opportunity for the students to score a match-winning seven points and break the hearts of the Brakpan team.
Harry Niewenhuizen, chairman of Brakpan Rugby Club, said that the result was very unfortunate but was proud of the way the team came back into the game and the tremendous character they showed.
“All in all, we had a very successful season and are all very proud of our team and the coaching staff,” he said.
“We played in the semi-finals of the two biggest club competitions in South African community rugby.
“This champion side has a 90 per cent winning rate against the best that South African rugby can offer, and scored 980 points, conceding only 258 points in total this season,” he added.
Niewenhuizen said that the future of Brakpan rugby is looking secure, with the club’s u-21 side also qualifying for the 2014 Community Cup.
The club will take a break for the next two months, after which the hard work will start again as they prepare for the 2014 Community Cup.
Brakpan’s semi-final try-scorers were Ian Evans (scrumhalf) and Gido Horn (fullback).