Penryn College first XV score seven tries
Last week Penryn made the long trip to Secunda to play against Hoërskool Oosterland.
It was an ice-cold day in Secunda, something which the local players are not used to. As the u/14 match kicked off there was still frost on the field and Penryn struggled to keep the ball in hand. These numerous unforced errors allowed Oosterland to dominate possession, which they converted into points and finished as winners of the match.
In the u/15 match the Oosterland-pack dominated the collisions and made it tough for Penryn to get quality ball to play with. The local team were starved of possession and could not match their opponents.
Previously Oosterland won the u/16 match with a penalty after the hooter and Penryn were keen for a win in Secunda. Once again the match was closely contested with the scores even at half-time. Penryn had an injury, which allowed Oosterland to take the advantage, and they took the victory once again.
In the second-team match, Penryn were determined to bring back some pride and be victorious. Once again they used penetrating runners to slice through the Oosterland defenders. Penryn did not even consider the risk of losing the match and were the deserved winners.
The first team had much to play for as the league approached the knock-out phases. Penryn stuck to their game plan and used their bigger forwards to carry the ball over the advantage line and stretch the Oosterland defence. From this base, the faster Penryn backline could run into the open spaces and create several scoring opportunities, resulting in them scoring seven tries on the day. Oosterland could not match the Penryn pace and scored a consolation try late in the second half.
“As the coach it is challenging for the team to travel, but I am pleased that our senior players still maintained the same intensity during the match and stuck to our game plan. They are an awesome group of young men and I am happy that their hard work is paying off,” said Penryn’s first rugby team coach, Graeme Stewart.
Rugby results:
• U/14: Penryn 5, Oosterland 53
• U/15: Penryn 0, Oosterland 48
• U/16: Penryn 10, Oosterland 12
• Second XV: Penryn 14, Oosterland 5
• First XV: Penryn 43, Oosterland 12.
