Bastion descends on Ellis Park in nail-biting game

Hoërskool Bastion’s first rugby team and its army of supporters descended on Ellis Park where they faced Hoërskool Linden.

Earlier that the week, Bastion received 2 500 tickets from the Lions Rugby Union to bring their fans to the stadium. The school hired more than three buses to transport their fans. This created an electric atmosphere in the stadium throughout the match.

This is part of the Golden Lions Rugby Union’s project of returning schools rugby to the stadium.

It was a nervy start for both teams in the first half.

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However, Linden was very effective in using the pace of its wingers to find gaps in Bastion’s defense, utilising their width to gain territory.

The resoluteness of Bastion’s defense would only come in the final third as they denied Linden any try scoring opportunities until a lapse in concentration allowed for the first half’s solitary try from Linden.

In the second half, things started out in scintillating fashion as both teams were looking to assert dominance in the game.

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But Linden scored two tries in quick succession.

With 25 minutes left before the end of the match, Linden was leading 19-0. The Bastion crowd however kept on singing and cheering for their team.

This gave the boys on the field a lift as they mounted a spirited comeback.

Alexander Dreyden and Donovan Theron scored tries to bring their team closer. However this was to no avail as Linden would once again score. The game ended 29-12.

Head coach Wesley Pretorius said he was proud of his team for the manner in which they played even if it did result in a loss.

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“I am proud of the boys and how they played. Obviously today we met a better opponent but we gave it our all. The experience of playing in such a stadium will help the team move forward,” he said.

In Friday’s games, The U/14 teams were the first to face off and Bastion beat Linden 32-19.

In the U/15 matches, Linden annihilated Bastion 62-0.

The U/16 matches followed and Bastion won 22-10 against their Linden counterparts.

The second teams were the final match on the day. Bastion lost 28-10 to Linden.

Lions Rugby Union’s match and referee manager Theuns Naude was key in organising the match between the two school teams.