Raiders defeat Villagers 17-10
A heated match between the two rivals ended in victory for the Raiders.
THE Pinetown Raiders took on their local rivals, the Hillcrest Villagers’ Rugby Club on Saturday.
The game, which took place at the Raiders’ home ground at Lahee Park was the second to last game of the season.
The game began earlier than normal so that spectators would be able to catch the game between The Sharks and the Highlanders, which was scheduled to begin at 5.05pm.
Kick-off for the local game, started on time at 2pm. The rival team, the Hillcrest Villagers were said to have arrived on the day with a bigger and more experienced team.
Hillcrest soon stamped their authority with a try early in the first half. This was repeated moments later when the Hillcrest Forwards gained momentum, were on the attack and extended their lead to 10-0 at the half time break.
On attack on the edge of the Hillcrest 22m line, the Raiders scrumhalf, Zukile Madikizela, stabbed through a grubber kick to flyhalf, Werner Wolfaard, who collected the ball and crashed over an easy try.
This opened the attack for the Raiders team, as they were awarded a penalty in front of the poles, which they easily converted.
The heat of the day seemed to be a telling factor, as the scores stayed level until late into the second half.
Turn over ball gave the Raiders backline a chance to score another try. Pressure mounted when the 10-minute mark was reached.
This pressed the local team to hold their defensive line in an effort to secure a victory. Hillcrest spent the greater part of the last minutes attacking the Raiders’ line.
The strength of teamwork caused a bond in the Raiders’ squad that could not be broken.
Attack after attack from the Hillcrest side seemed to be spoilt by a solid Raiders’ defense, which prevented them from scoring any further points in the game.
The Pinetown Raiders walked off the field with a victory of 17-10.
The Raiders will take on the Rovers this Friday night at home. Highway residents are urged to support the local team in their last game and help them top the log with a victory.
