FULLBACK Dylan Kroon more than made up for his recent absence against Harlequins, when he slotted a crucial late penalty to see the Fidelity Security South Coast Warriors clinch a thrilling 25-24 win over Richards Bay, away, last Saturday.
The Warriors had started the game with a huge point to prove and ran in three tries in no time.
However, the stunned hosts responded, and the game was fought tooth and nail till the bitter end, which turned out rather sweetly for the Warriors.
Kroon’s kick was about 35 metres from the posts, and about 15 metres in from touch, on the left side of the field.
He made absolutely no mistake, and the ball flew through the centre of the uprights.
Not surprisingly, he was later named man of the match, as this wasn’t the only vital kick he slotted during the game.
“He kept very calm in the pressure situations,” said coach Christo Henderson.
Flank Kyle van Deventer was the forward of the match.
What this means is that the Warriors go top of the log with two games to play. If they win both with bonus points, then they cannot be caught and will win the First Division South title.
Coach Henderson explained that a lot of planning and training had gone into the game.
In the end, he felt it had been their will to win and their on-field discipline which had made the difference.
“We were committed to our game plan and when we took to the field we were ready to take on anyone,” he said.
“There was some great captaincy from Juan van der Berg and his deputy Chris Mitchell. They kept the boys calm and made the correct decisions under pressure,” he added.
Tries were scored by David van Zyl, Donovan Horne and Dawie Durrheim.
Kroon nailed two conversions but missed one. He landed two penalties, one at the death when it really mattered.
One of the secrets to their success was some clever planning, with the team leaving much earlier than in the past to get there.
“We got the boys a proper breakfast and then gave them some fun time in town, before moving to the club for the serious rugby. It paid off,” said Henderson.
The Warriors now have 48 points with Richards Bay in second place on 47 points. Both these teams have two games left, while Harlequins, on 39 points, have three games remaining.
The Warriors play Westville Old Boys away this Saturday and then UKZN at home on July 26.
“So the Warriors have fate in their own hands going in to the last two games. We will know exactly what and where to focus for this coming week,” said Henderson.
The good news is that there were no injuries after the clash – and even more pleasing was that Van Deventer got through a full game on his comeback from injury, while crash-tackling centre Tienie Viljoen, also back from injury, managed 25 minutes with no obvious discomfort.
Hooker Juandre Koekemoer celebrates his 21st birthday on Saturday and what better present to him and father Andre (big fan and photographer when MG Roscher isn’t there) than the win!
The team thanked medic Jackie Wessels who gave up his free time to travel with the team and look after matters, both on and off the field.
“We really appreciate it, hugely,” said Henderson, on behalf of the squad.
* The third team is playing on Wednesday, July 16. Their last game will be on July 30.
If they win both, they will be in the final against Scottburgh.
