Bulldogs players claw their way back for a superb win against powerful opponents

On Saturday (March 25), the Clover Leaf sponsored Ladysmith Bulldogs went down to Durban to play Crusaders over 30s. A very big detour had to be taken from Hidcote to Nottingham Road, making us sit in a car for four hours.

They are a very tough team and on their home turf, very difficult to beat. A few of these battle-hardened guys are part of the SA Legends squad. What a great bunch to play against and we hope we can make it an annual event.

From the kick-off, we knew we were in for a very tough game, punishing us severely for any mistakes we made. The forwards scrummed well and the line-outs were great, where Dylan de Beer stole a few of their throw-ins. At half-time we were trailing 17-0.

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Three long-range tries against us were not a true reflection of the game and like I said, they punished us severely for our mistakes, showing us that there is no substitute for experience.

At half-time, we made a few adjustments and a few hard words were spoken. Duran Law, captaining the side for the first time (standing in for Izak Boshoff), led from the front and by example. True to old Bulldogs fashion, we started clawing our way back into the game. Our superior fitness, thanks to Maxine and Deidre, stood us in good stead, running the ball at every opportunity.

The second half was a real tug-of-war, as we went ahead 21-17 and then they scored again (21-24), making it an interesting game. We then managed to score again (28-24) and held on desperately to the final whistle.

I’m very proud of the team for coming back from such a big deficit to win the game. It shows that this team has true spirit and great character, to come back and win against such an experienced side.

The try scorers were Thobani, Nathan Viljoen, Ethan van Tonder and Marno Fourie. Duran Law converted all the tries and that was the difference between winning and losing, as they only managed to convert two tries. ‘Man of the match’ for the forwards was Karel van Rooyen, and Eythan van Tonder for the back-line.

A special mention and a big thank you needs to be said to our sponsors – Gerald, Phillip and Angela Boardman – who sacrificed their Saturday to come down to Durban to support and provide transport for most of the players, Angela strapping players before the game.

Thank you to Linda Boshoff for making ‘padkos’ for all the players, making sure the cooler box was full of energy drinks and refreshments. Our own biokineticists, Maxine and Deidre, also came down, strapping and repairing players. Thanks to the coaches, Flippie Fourie and Lennert Buitendach, and team manager Dean van Wyk for the big effort you guys put in. Thank you to our very vocal spectators in Ivy Witthoft, Marnie Muller, Gavin, Sonya and Yulindi Webber – your encouragement from the side of the field does not go unnoticed.

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