The Vlammies’ hearts were broken after they had lost the Noordvaal Schools Championship semi-final against Hoërskool Linden. They lost to a try and a conversion after the hooter on Saturday, August 3.

Hoërskool Bergvlam’s rugby boys have been in phenomenal form in 2024, embarking on a long run of success in group 3 (medium schools) of the Noordvaal Schools Championship. Four of the school’s teams qualified for the play-offs, but only the U16s and first team made it to the quarter-finals.

There they beat Hoërskool Delmas and Hoërskool Stoffberg to secure spots in the semi-finals. The U16s would take on Hoërskool Vryburg and the first team of Hoërskool Linden, with both matches offering mouth-watering fixtures.

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The day didn’t get off to the best of start for the Vlammies, unfortunately, as the U16s struggled to kick into gear and find their feet in their semi-final clash. They proved to be no match for Vryburg, who ran out 19-11 victors to progress to the U16 final.

The first team match was a brilliant game of rugby, dictated by a fierce battle between the two schools’ fly halves as well as a tug of war for power between the two forward packs. The match was always evenly poised with either side able to take control at any stage.

However, early mistakes for Bergvlam indicated a bit of nerves for the home side as Linden took the lead from some sloppy Vlammies defence. They bounced back shortly afterwards. but not before Linden had slotted a penalty and the score was 10-7 in the Joburg boys’ favour. Bergvlam crossed the whitewash once more before half-time and carried a 14-10 lead into the break.

Bergvlam drew first blood in the second half through two penalties from the boot of Captain Cian Maritz, seeing them take a 20-10 lead. But Linden stood steadfast in their defence for the rest of the game and kept the Vlammies’ attacks at bay.

Linden responded with an unconverted try to set up a tense finish with the score at 20-15. Bergvlam was handed the chance to put the game to bed with less than five minutes on the clock through a penalty. However, Maritz pulled the penalty left of the uprights.

The away side then went on the offensive in search of the win, constantly bombarding the Bergvlam try line. The relentless pressure was bound to give way at some point and that it did, with the Joburg boys crashing over the line in the corner after the hooter had sounded. This set the score at 20-20, and left the fly half with the chance to win it.

He calmly slotted the conversion, sending the ball sailing through the middle of the posts to secure a 22-20 win for Linden and send them through to the final. While not in the final, Bergvlam can be immensely proud of their journey in Noordvaal this year, going further than any other Ehlanzeni school in any of these divisions.