Jaguars declawed by mighty Warriors
They played for their captain, even though he was in another province at the time of the match.
JUAN van den Berg made about 100 phone calls to coach Christo Henderson during the Fidelity Security South Coast Warriors game against the Jaguars last Saturday.
Okay, not quite, but Van den Berg, the regular captain, was attending his sister’s 21st birthday in Jeffreys Bay and had to miss the game. Not that it stopped him thinking about what was happening at Douglas Mitchell Sports Ground.
It was a huge match and the Warriors responded by beating a star-studded Jaguars 20-19.
By doing so, they maintained their position at the top of the First Division South log.
Ben Oosthuizen was immense, once again, in the front row, helping the Warriors gain dominance in the set phases.
Coach Henderson felt the Warriors had handled the massive pressure well. “We stuck to our structure and game plan. We knew from the start that it was going to be a very tough game and so we worked hard to ensure that our defence systems were perfect,” he said.
Men of the match were Oosthuizen (overall) and Marcell Sass (backline).
The Jaguars started the game with a vengeance, scoring twice, to take a 12-0 lead.
Fullback Dylan Kroon trimmed the lead to 12-3 with a penalty.
The Warriors scored just before the break with big Nicolaas Engelbrecht crashing over. The conversion attempt went wide.
Shortly after the break the Warriors crossed the line again, this time David van Zyl the try scorer. Kroon knocked over the conversion to give the Warriors a 15-12 lead.
However, the Jaguars struck back to score under the posts and take a 19-12 lead.
This was when the Warriors showed their true mettle. They produced some great set pieces, and this eventually led to a driving maul which saw livewire scrumhalf and captain for the day, Chris Mitchell, score a try.
The kick was missed but it put the Warriors in the lead, if only by one point.
They kept on attacking during the last five minutes, in search of a bonus point, but the defence was resolute.
“The Jaguars kept the Warriors off the ground three times after crossing the line,” said Henderson.
As it stands now, the Warriors top the log on 43 points. Richards Bay have 40 and Harlequins 35.
“We cannot afford any slip-ups as it can still go to any of the top three teams. Every week is a final for us and we will keep the intensity high and the players focused,” said Henderson.
The Warriors face Harlequins at home this Saturday.
If they win their league, they play the winners of the North Section for the Dewar Shield.
Meanwhile, the third team beat Gamalakhe 32-7 in a match played last week.
Men of the match were Pieter Smith (overall) and Jackson Mqadi (backline).
Tries were scored by Boxer Slabbert (4), Jackson Mqadi and Ronaldo du Toit.
Travis Kirton slotted one conversion.
