Vryheid Rugby Club’s winning streak

IT WAS YET another brutal encounter between rivals, Vryheid and Pongola on Saturday, May 17, where players from both sides played with no shortage of physicality.
Both sides left blood and sweat on the field, but it was Vryheid who had that extra bit in the tank as they kept their unbeaten run alive by beating Pongola 17 – 8.
Where everything went Vryheid’s way last week against Piet Retief, this week it was a different story against the starstudded Pongola side. Even points machine, Francois Scheepers, scoring an average of 16 points per game, experienced an off day with the boot, bagging only 17 percent of his kicks.
The starting lineup had six new faces in it, and the coaches took some positives from this game, such as the fact that their squad has players who can play at the highest level and when the odds are stacked against them, they can even push through and outscore their opponents three tries to one.
At the centre of Vryheid’s performance was Tiaan Kruger, who ended up being awarded Man of the Match on his second run out at hooker. For this Glenwood old boy, his uncompromising attitude and putting his body on the line in defense is largely what led to the unravelling of Pongola’s attack.
He was well supported by team mates Tinus Scheepers and Steen Smith, who both made many heart stopping tackles keeping the excited crowd on the edge of their seats.
Centre pairing, Dylan Herbst and Mornè Ellis had Pongola second guessing for most of the second half.
It was after a well worked move that they put speedster, Andrè Bester away to go over in the corner, which sealed Pongola’s fate.
Vryheid’s First Team will march on undefeated into the next round of the tournament and will play Dundee Sentraal, while the Vryheid’s Second Team will go head to head with Ladysmith Bulldogs on Saturday, May 24.
Our prayers go out to Vryheid’s Johannes Kruger, who sadly lost his father only minutes before running onto the field against Pongola.