Vryheid’s firsts fight hard but fall short… for now

Issued by Vryheid Rugby Club

PAUL Brown once said “You learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat…” and this has never been truer than after this previous weekend’s games.

Our men in maroon travelled to Dundee to face off against Sentraal Rugby Club on Saturday. The day started off on a high note for Vryheid Rugby Club as the second team from Vryheid defeated their hosts 21 points to 12. It was a trying game for the second team, as Sentraal were on the attack throughout much of the game. Vryheid however managed to withstand this pressure to edge the hosts by 3 tries to 2.

Jono Beghin, who is the coach of the Vryheid second team, lauded his players for their courage in defense but feels there is still a lot of work to be done since the game was riddled with a lot of handling errors. Man of the match awards went to Monwabisi Mtshali and Mlungisi Zulu.

Also read: Strong start for Vryheid Rugby Club in brand new kit

Next up was the much anticipated match between the first teams from Vryheid and Sentraal.

After the disappointing loss against Volksrust the previous week, the team from Vryheid was looking for some retribution. Sentraal however, came out all guns blazing, boasting a team that is much improved from previous seasons. They were the first to score, putting the score line at 0-5, but Vryheid quickly retaliated with a try of their own, putting them in the lead 7-5.

Sentraal fought back and, on the stroke of halftime, put through a penalty conversion to place them back in the lead 7-8. After a stern talk by coach, Andre Ellis, during the halftime break, Vryheid took to the field with renewed vigour. They hit back first in the second half with a well-worked try.

One would have thought at this point that Vryheid would take control of the game, but Sentraal fought hard and kept themselves in the game. Handling errors and a couple of questionable calls by the referee haltered Vryheid’s efforts. Sentraal capitalized on this, scoring two more unanswered tries, leaving the score at 14-20 in favour of Sentraal when the final whistle blew.

Speaking to coach Andre Ellis after the match, he said that, although a loss is always disappointing, he is proud of his team for never laying down. He also said that the season is still a long way from over and that we are going to continue our work and come back in the next game with a bang.

Vryheid Rugby Club would like to invite all the fans to this coming weekend’s home fixture against Ladysmith Bulldogs. The match will start at 3:30pm.

We would also like to remind the public of the first annual Vryheid Rugby Club Market Day which will be happening on June 30.

Check out the gallery of photos from Saturday’s match, taken by supporters…