Worst possible start for ‘Panne’
“We must beat Vereeniging this Saturday if we want to keep our Gold Cup dream alive.”
The Valke Rugby Union’s top club competition, the Peregrine League, kicked off on Saturday, May 6.
Defending league champions Brakpan Rugby Club’s first XV travelled to Prince George Park in Boksburg to play their old rivals and found themselves on the wrong side of a 25-17 shock defeat at the hands of the team dubbed “The Owls”.
With a number of senior players missing in action – the likes of Theo Mynhardt, Jaco Lotter, Wihan Dippenaar, Jacques Moller, Gido Horn, Darren Lindsay, Gino Figioli, Panda van Loggenberg and Raymond Herron – Brakpan’s depth was to already be tested to the maximum on the opening day of the 2017 campaign.
Club chairman Harry Nieuwenhuis described the defeat as “quite the shocker, but we cannot blame anyone but ourselves”.
“We had serious challenges with our depth in the team this week, but we had good enough players coming in and the youngsters had to make a big step up,” he said.
“I think we controlled the game and we outplayed them up front, but our back line could not come to the party.
“It is nothing we can’t fix.
“This week is going to be a massive one for us.
“We must beat Vereeniging this Saturday if we want to keep our Gold Cup dream alive.”
The chairman added that positivity still reigns supreme at the club and everybody is looking forward to the clash with last season’s league runners-up Vereeniging – a match which always gets local rugby fans’ tongues wagging.
The match will kick off at 4pm at the Bosman Stadium.
Try scorers for Brakpan on Saturday were Tabu Tau, Sybrand van der Merwe and Divan Broodryk.
• Meanwhile, the club’s Lilywhites (second XV) won their game 8-7 while the youthful u-21 team enjoyed a big win over Boksburg with a 51-3 score line and look primed to be serious contenders in their Valke competition this year.
Also read:
Nerves shattered as golden Brakpan win Valke League, qualify for Gold Cup
Follow us:
To receive the latest news on your phone:
WhatsApp number: 0794306641 (add us to your contacts and send your name and surname on WhatsApp)
