Villagers praised for their performance

MATCH day report for the first and second XV: Land Rover Durban Hillcrest Villagers RC travelled to Harlequins RC on the Bluff at the weekend. The home of the former Premier Division Club has long been known in local club rugby circles as ‘the house of pain’. It has on many occasions been a venue that has seen top rugby clubs stumble and lose to the ‘mighty Quins’. Villagers arrived to take on the home side, with tremendous result.

While the Villagers second XV lost 5-6, they without doubt controlled over 80 per cent of the game and were stopped just short of crossing the chalk line on a number of occasions. At the final whistle, the unconverted try of scrumhalf, Wade Windell, was all they could post on the scoreboard.

Humble in defeat, Villagers’ second XV Coach, ‘Major’ Russ Booth, told his charges that it was a match that could easily have been won. In the match after, Harlequins RC head coach, Mark Cameron, congratulated Villagers seconds on their unlucky one-point loss.

Villagers first XV, while outsized and outweighed by their ‘beefy’ Bluff opposition, soon kicked into their highly skilled superiority and established total dominance from the very start. First blood went to the visitors from a long range penalty off the hefty boot of 2014 Wilderbeest and Villagers’ center, Stephan Bothma. From there on the points tallied heavily in favour of ‘The Boy’s from the Crest’, with the final score of 27-9.

Bothma and Villagers’ Hooker, Alex Calvert, were nominated men of the match in the back line and forwards respectively.

Harlequins RC chairman, Nic Breedt, praised Villagers for a fine and well deserved performance and admitted that his first XV had been simply outclassed on the day by the well-drilled and skilled opposition.

Villagers are at home to Richards Bay RC on Saturday, 23 May, with matches starting from 1.30pm at Durban Shongweni Club.

Match day report for the third XV: On Wednesday (13 May), Envirosan Hillcrest Villagers RC third XV hosted Pinetown Raiders second XV at the Durban Shongweni Club grounds for a night of rugby.

The Villagers third team scrum quickly dominated Raiders upfront, showing its absolute dominance in the tight five. Raiders battled to secure their own ball in the line-outs and scrums, resulting in the slick Villagers backline penetrating the Raiders’ defence time and time again and scoring a barrage of tries.

Raiders tried their best and showed great character; however, they were out-matched by a far hungrier and dominant Villagers team, which have their eyes and hearts set on winning the KZNRU fourth division silverware in 2015. Villagers won the match 52-5.