White River face Impalas in semi-final
The local team ended the league phase of the season with 27 log points.
White River Rugby Club’s second team have finished in third place in the Ehlanzeni Mayor’s Rugby League. After five home and five away matches, the local team ended the league phase of the season with 27 log points.
Barberton finished first and Komatipoort second.
White River II will face the Impalas I at Komatipoort Rugby Club in the Ehlanzeni Mayor’s semi-final on Saturday. The winner of this game will take on the winner of the match between Barberton and the Rooikatte.
In White River’s last league match they faced the Rooikatte in Lydenburg last Thursday night. The Rooikatte won the game 16-10.
White River II annihilated Nelspruit II in an Ehlanzeni Mayor’s Rugby League match on the previous Saturday.The home team ran in eight tries for a 43-5 victory.
Nelspruit’s defence was poor at at times bordered on the ludicrous. This made the job much easier for a well-drilled and motivated White River team.
White River dominated the match from the kick-off and simply won quality possession from the set pieces, secured lots of turnover ball, and ran at their opponents. Gaps opened up like the Read Sea in the Nelspruit defence and White River turned on the turbo boosters.
The half time score was 24-0.
The carnage continued in the second half.
White River centre Pierre Janse van Rensburg side-stepped his way through half the Nelspruit team. He could have kissed any of the Nelspruit players on the cheek when he ran by, so lethargic was the defence.
Nelspruit wing, Louis Khoza, did score a try against the run of play but the visiting team could not get into the game. They were outplayed and outspirited.
White River’s forwards did the basics very well and the rest of the game plan fell into place.
The red team’s try scorers were wing Ferdi Vilander, centres Eldred James and Pierre Janse van Rensburg (2), scrum half Henk van Tonder, eighth man Duard Combrink, lock Arno van der Merwe and hooker Hein Steenkamp.
The Ehlanzeni Mayor’s League log table (all teams played 10 matches each)
1. Barberton I – 43
2. Komatipoort I – 31
3. White River II – 27
4. Lydenburg I – 26
5. Malelane I – 23
6. Nelspruit II – 7
White River I will play Middelburg I in a vital Mpumalanga Premier League match at White River Rugby Club on Saturday. White River must win the match to avoid finishing last on the log.
