Umhlali ruggers fight back
Dylan Hulett said their team played a hundred times better than last year and he was positive about their prospects for the coming season.
A highly entertaining tit-for-tat and end-to-end curtain raiser between Umhlali Preparatory and the KZN U13 development side set the stage for an exciting weekend of schoolboy rugby at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival last weekend.
Both teams played running rugby and the match produced an impressive eight tries, equally spread across the two 30 minute halves.
The development boys were quick off the mark and opened their scoreboard tally with a try in the tenth minute. However, it took Umhlali only five minutes to retaliate with an equaliser.
The boys in black broke through Umhlali’s defence twice more before the referee blew the half-time whistle and left the field with a comfortable 15-five lead.
The KZN U13 development “show” continued in the second half and Umhlali seemed to be out of the game when the opposition crossed the chalk two more times, converting once, to take a controlling 22 point lead in the second half.
Suddenly the blue machine woke up and while it was not enough to win the game, Umhlali made a valiant comeback, dotting down twice and converting once to bring the final score to 27-17.
Both teams made a habit of spilling the pill but the referee was lenient to keep the game flowing.
“I am absolutely happy with my team’s performance. This is their first game of the year and the development side’s fifth,” said Umhlali coach, Greg Howard.
He said their fitness was good, they did not pick up any injuries (last year their captain broke his arm in the Kearsney curtain raiser), and they showed good skills.
Howard said playing on the Kearsney field in front of the “big boys”, the Sharks’ Academy selectors and a few Sharks’ players was an awe-inspiring experience for the boys.
“The kids’ eyes were this big,” he said making a gesture with his hands.
Double try scorer, Dylan Hulett said their team played a hundred times better than last year and he was positive about their prospects for the coming season.
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