The Elande showed courage against much-favoured Raiders
“The teams went to the shed with a 17-3 scoreline in favour of the hosts, Raiders.”
Despite dominating the set phases, the Elande lacked form in the previous two weeks.
They desperately tried to salvage some respect in the Pirates Grand Challenge (PGC) when they went up against one of the heavyweights, Raiders.
The Alberton side dominated the scrums and lineouts but could not convert pressure into points. Ex-Springbok prop Lawrence Sephaka could not sing enough praises for his protégé, Lindo Dladla, likened to a beast on the day.
The Elande and Raiders’ 3-3 deadlock came at the end of the first half when a Raider’s winger wrong-footed two Elande and went over the whitewash for a converted try.
The teams went to the shed with a 17-3 scoreline in favour of the hosts, the Raiders.
According to Rory Lategan of the Elande, the score line was deceptive because the Elande dominated most of the play.
“The previous week’s silly errors cost the Elande, and they were harshly punished. Against Raiders, the errors were fewer, but Raiders still punished the visitors when the mistakes crept in. The second half delivered a tighter performance, with both teams scoring and converting. The pressure on Raiders in the second half was insurmountable, and, sadly, the conversion from pressure to points was not forthcoming,” he said.
He said the inspirational Jared Steyn went over for a try, with Jason Botha converting to add to his earlier penalty.
“Steyn has been a breath of fresh air for the Elande. His passion and leadership are felt. Not diminishing the performance of his teammates, but a special mention needs to go to Keagan van Schalkwyk for a true flyhalf performance,” explained Lategan.
Although the final result of 24-10 was not what they wanted, he said there were plenty of positives the Elande could take from the fixture.
Lategan said they would work from here to improve to make their community proud.
