Bryanston Honey Badgers U14 and U16 teams secure double victory at Golden Lions Rugby Union tournament
Home-ground advantage paid off for the Bryanston Honey Badgers, with the U12 and U14 teams securing hard-fought victories during a Golden Lions Rugby Union tournament at Bryanston High School.
Bryanston Honey Badgers Youth Rugby Club celebrated a successful day on home soil as the U12 and U14 teams secured victories during a Golden Lions Rugby Union tournament held at Bryanston High School on July 18.
The friendly tournament brought together about 10 clubs from across Johannesburg with age groups ranging from U6 to U16, providing young players with an opportunity to test their skills, build friendships, and gain valuable match experience ahead of the season.
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The Honey Badgers U12 side delivered an impressive performance to defeat Wasps Rugby Club 37–7. U12 captain Lucas Phike said he was pleased with the team’s display, but believes there is still room for improvement. “I’d give our overall performance nine out of 10. We still need to work on passing, as there was too much individualism.”
Reflecting on the opposition, he added: “The opponents were okay, but we were better performance-wise, and I think we played well as a team.”
Despite the defeat, Wasps Rugby Club U12 captain Eben Janse van Rensburg praised the Honey Badgers for their performance. “It was a very tough game. The Badgers were a brilliant side, especially their scrumming and the backline, but on our team’s performance, you can never be the best team. You always need to improve on something. Genuinely, I’m happy, even though It was a very tough game.”
The Honey Badgers U14 team also secured a hard-fought 15–14 victory over Kagiso Rugby Club in a fierce competition.
Coach Phakamilumuziwomusa Zuma said the match became increasingly physical as the game progressed, but praised his players for remaining calm. “The team performance was okay, nothing too special. The kind of competition wasn’t the best. The players got a bit violent when they started losing, but, as coaches, we had to keep the boys calm and to tell them to keep their heads.”
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He acknowledged that rugby is an aggressive sport, but was pleased that both teams settled down and finished the match in good spirit.
Zuma added that the team still needs to work on fitness and communication, in terms of getting the ball down the hands. “Our patterns and structure are there, but sometimes, when the competition gets tough, the boys want to play their own game instead of sticking to the plan. Our tackling also needs a lot of improvement.
“We know exactly where we need to focus to fix those issues. Overall, I’m excited. It’s going to be a great season with these boys.”
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