Vryheid Rugby Club faces off with Piet Retief in two thrilling encounters
“The last time these two teams met was in the Northern Natal Rugby Final,” stated Head Coach, Rich Verster. “Although Piet Retief boosted their side with a lot of students for this match, the Vryheid side was no push-over.”
“IT’S not about winning or losing,” they say. “It’s about how you play the game.”
Sportsmanship is about knowing that it’s a game, but giving your best anyway, which is what transpired on Saturday at Vryheid Rugby Club as the locals played host to long-time rivals, Piet Retief, in two electrifying encounters at Cecil Emmett Park.
The second team kicked off the first match of the afternoon against a strong Piet Retief side, who wasted no time in putting points on the board with a try in the first movement of the game.
Vryheid fought back, scoring three tries to Piet Retief’s four, refusing to be easy pickings for the somewhat overly aggressive Piet Retief squad.
“The last time these two teams met was in the Northern Natal Rugby Final,” stated Head Coach, Rich Verster. “Although Piet Retief boosted their side with a lot of students for this match, the Vryheid side was no push-over.”
Piet Retief paid a final visit to the try-line in the 78th minute and Vryheid responded by spending the next five minutes in relentless pursuit of the Piet Retief tryline, looking to equalise, but to no avail, as the final whistle blew and Vryheid found themselves trailing by seven points.
Vryheid lost the match, 20 – 27, to the visiting side. However, despite defeat, coaches, John Beghin and Edwill Meiring are pleased with their team’s performance.
The first teams took to the field next, with Piet Retief having an unbeaten preparation for this season’s clash with Vryheid since they last faced off in the 2016 Northern Natal Final.
The rivalry between the two sides remained unmatched as they went head to head in a remarkable showdown on Vryheid’s home soil.
The visiting side came into the match with the brute force of their behemoth forwards and agility of their skilful backs, to put a dent in Vryheid’s armour with an early try only seven minutes into the game.
The hosts responded with a try by Lwazi Mdluli, but battled hard for the first half, with over-eagerness and impatience leading them to concede ten penalties to their opponents.
A well-worked first phase try, placed by Vryheid’s Francois Lindeque, shortly before the stroke of halftime, levelled the score and put the men in maroon back in the game.
Stern words from Head Coach, Rich Verster, saw the Vryheid first team backline settling into the game in the second half and the forwards working harder, grinding away at the rucks, culminating in a magnificent try by Tight Head Prop, Jurie Huyser.
Vryheid subsequently laid down the gauntlet, dominating for the remainder of the match, with Vryheid’s formidable number 8, Francois Scheepers leading from the front. Scheepers, after kicking two penalties for Vryheid, one from 55 metres, scored a well-worked try, crushing Piet Retief’s hopes of a comeback in the closing moments of the match.
At the final whistle, the scoreboard reflected Vryheid’s persistence and they triumphed over Piet Retief, 26 – 17.
The club would like to thank Antoon o’Kelly for getting the field into better shape than it has been in years.
“He is putting in so much work,” stated Rich Verster. “It looks amazing.”
