Rivals face off on the field

Two old rivals, White River and Nelspruit Primary, recently faced off in epic battles on the rugby and netball fields in White River.

While many supporters rooted for the underdogs Nelspruit Primary, they struggled to make the cut. On the rugby field, the u/9 visitors suffered a defeat of 36-0. Although the u/10 visitors gave the hosts a good run for their money, they suffered a 22-14 loss.

A titanic battle ended in a 17-12 win for the u/11 home team, while their B team walked away with a convincing 29-0 win. Nelspruit’s second team failed to score any points, and a few errors allowed the home team to accelerate to a 12-0 win.

The real battle everyone was waiting for was when the two first teams took to the field. At the begining of the match, it seemed like the home team would walk away with an easy win, especially with Nelspruit making unnecessary errors. But when half-time came, a few harsh words were spoken and the visitors were back on the field with renewed enthusiasm. Fewer errors were made, but it became clear who the stronger team were. With a five-point deficit, Nelspruit fought hard to get over the try line, but lost ball after ball in the rucks, leaving them in defence mode again. Trailing by only five points, the fight to score and convert a try was lost by Nelspruit when White River scored a try in the dying stages of the game, securing a win of 22-12.

Things looked a bit more promising on the netball court for the visiting team with four of their 10 games won.

Here are the results:

U/9 A: 4-1 win for Nelspruit

U/9 B: 7-1 win for Nelspruit

U/10 A: 5-2 win for Nelspruit

U/10 B: 11-1 win for White River

U/11 A: 9-5 win for Nelspruit

U/11 B: 16-2 win for White River

U/12 A: 22-14 win for White River

U/12 B: 6-1 win for White River

U/13 A: 20-7 win for White River

U/13 B: 8-1 win for White River.

View more photos here