Curro’s juniors set the bar high for the 2018 season

Curro Nelspruit played their first rugby fixture of the year at home against Hoërskool Kanonkop on Saturday.

March 9, 2018

Carli Koch 2 minutes read

The u/14s got the first match started off, with Curro receiving the kick-off and through some strong runs scoring in the first minute of the match. This did not bode well for Kanonkop and they were on the back foot as Curro scored again from the subsequent kick-off.

The latter dominated the rest of the first half, going into half-time 42-0 in the lead.

In the second half, the hosts made several substitutions which changed the pace of the match. Curro continued to dominate and scored another three tries in the second half to end 57-0 winners.

Kanonkop decided against playing their u/15 team against the formidable 2017 Virsekerbeker winners.

Instead, Curro played against a competitive MP Development XV. Here they used their slick handling skills and fast tempo to outplay their opponents. The MP Development XV showed courage in defending, but could not mount an attack against a solid Curro defence. The latter ran out as convincing 68-0 winners.

In the u/16 fixture, they were up against a solid team. This was a very even match. The boys had matured over the holidays and were eager to dominate the collisions.

Through good interplay between their players, Curro managed to go into the break with a slight lead.

Through several penalties, Kanonkop came back into the match during the second half and tested the resolve of the Curro players. Through determination, Curro managed to score again and withstand the Kanonkop attacks. Curro ended 20-12 winners.

In the final match of the day it was the first teams against one another.

Kanonkop were keen to get a win for their school. The match was evenly poised, with the players testing one another’s skill sets. Kanonkop scored first and were on the front foot, clearly a school that thrives on confidence. They proved tough to handle for the Curro players and went into the break two converted tries up at 14-0.

After a stern half-time talk, the Curro players realised they could win the match and started to execute their game plan. Through a skilled passing game by fly half Zinzan Cole, Curro were able to create space in the Kanonkop defensive line and scored four tries in the second half. Kanonkop never gave up and were always able to hit back after a Curro score. Kanonkop ended as 31-24 winners.