Drop goal seals momentous rugby victory for Toti

IT would be stretching the point a little to compare Toti Rugby Club’s first team’s 14-11 victory over Jonsson College Rovers on Saturday with the USA ice hockey team’s victory over the USSR in the gold medal match of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, made remarkable by the fact that the US team was made up of amateurs and collegiate players, while the USSR team was made up entirely of professionals who had swept all before them in the previous three Olympics, but the similarities are there when one compares the heart and ‘play for each other’ attitude both teams displayed in their unlikely victories over fancied opponents.

In front of easily the biggest crowd ever seen at Toti, it was the home side who took the early lead through a Jose Rodrigues penalty, but this was cancelled out a few minutes later by Juandre Smal, the Rovers fullback.

For most of the first half it was a battle for possession and territory, with Rovers perhaps shading Toti in these areas. It was Rovers who broke the 3-3 deadlock on the stroke of half time when their scrumhalf Dumi Dyonasi went over off the back of a well-worked drive of a line-out. The conversion attempt from Smal went wide, giving the visitors an 8-3 advantage going into the sheds.

The second half started off in the best possible fashion for Toti when soon after the resumption of play, Toti scored a try of their own through Thinus Volker, the big and mobile Toti tight head prop, who turned in a man of the match performance. The conversion attempt was not successful, leaving the scores tied up at 8-8 going into the final quarter of the match. Penalty kicks were traded by both teams, and, with the scores now level on 11-all, for the home team it became a case doing what they had practised on the training field by playing for field position, then hitting it up at close quarters with the forwards to force Rovers into mistakes which could cost them a penalty. With seconds remaining on the clock, it was Rovers who turned the ball over at the ruck, and at this stage the home supporters would have settled for the draw. Fate then stepped in and Rovers crucially knocked on, giving Toti a scrum close to the uprights. The ref then communicated to the players that this was to be the last move of the game. The ball was won by Toti and was carried through a few phases before Rodrigues dropped back into the pocket, called for the ball, and calmly slotted the match-winning drop goal to send the crowd, and players, into raptures.

Eagle Canyon Spur men of the match awards went to Thinus Volker and to Jose Rodrigues.

Thanks must go to Fidelty Security for awarding Toti the hosting rights for this amazing day of club rugby at its best.

Toti will next host North Coast Rhinos at Hutchison Park on Saturday, 16 May, with the second team kicking off at 1.30pm and the first team off at 3pm. There will be a big screen TV in the bar for the local Super 15 rugby and a jumping castle from 3pm for the kiddies.