THE SKZN rugby team, made up of players from Warriors, Harding, Kokstad, Gamalakhe, Amanchecha, Ixopo, Scottburgh and Kapaailand, notched up a win in the first round of the Ebbo Bastard tournament last weekend.
The team edged out Zululand 25-24 in a nail-biting finish, thanks to a dramatic late drop goal. With just three minutes remaining on the clock, Ernest Bezuidenhout stroked the ball over the crossbar, giving SKZN the win.
Jarrod Skidmore crossed the line twice to score, with one of the tries converted by Bezuidenhout. Manie Bezuidenhout and David van Zyl also dotted down. Neither of these tries was converted.
An impressive performance from Bokser Slabbert saw him named forward of the match, while Ernest Bezuidenhout scooped the back line title.
The match was marred by one yellow card. SKZN had been warned for repeated infringements at the ruck and Dawie Durrheim was identified as the culprit. He was sent to cool his heels in the sin bin for 10 minutes.
Both the backs and forwards had an excellent first half. The scrums in particular were strong and the team’s dominance in this area set up a good platform from which to attack.
In the second half SKZN put themselves under pressure with several handling errors and missed first tackles which allowed Zululand to creep back into the game. The team showed immense character in fighting back, especially given that they had had only one practice session before the game.
Areas identified as needing attention were communication in defence and exit plays. Going forward, the team will focus on its attacking game.
SKZN next take on the Durban Sub Union at Kokstad on July 5 in the second round of the tournament.
In local fixtures, the Warriors take on the Jaguars this Saturday, June 21. The Jaguars have proved to be this year’s ‘giant killers’ so the Warriors will need do their homework and ensure that their game plan is watertight.
