Toti 1sts rue missed chances against Rovers
Rodrigues was successful with two more penalty conversions which put Toti into a 21-19 lead with 10 minutes to go in the match.
FIDELITY Security Moor Cup log leaders Your Communications College Rovers had to fight tooth and nail to keep their unbeaten record intact against Amanzimtoti Rugby Club’s first team on Friday, 24 June.
It was Rovers who were first to score with a try from former Maties and UKZN Impi centre Grant Rattray converted by Chris Jordaan, but Toti struck back almost immediately with a superbly executed try from eighth man Conrad Mostert, converted by utility back Jose Rodrigues.
Rovers then got themselves back in front when their hooker Chris Kemp broke off the back of an advancing maul to score. Jordaan added the extra two, but Rodrigues was successful with a penalty minutes later to narrow the score line to 14-10 in Rovers’ favour. Toti prop Thinus Volker then went over for what looked like a certain try, but the referee’s assistant had other ideas, informing the man in the middle that there had been an earlier off the ball infringement in the lead up to the try. The ref was left with no choice but to disallow the try and added insult to injury by yellow carding the Toti player for what seemed to be an innocuous offence, which did not have any bearing on whether the try would have been scored or not.
Shortly after the resumption of the second half, Toti centre Le Roux van Zyl got Toti in front by scoring after chasing down a deft chip over the advancing defenders from scrum half Matthew McDonald. The conversion attempt from Rodrigues hit the upright but this still left Toti 15-14 to the good. Rovers then regained the lead, scoring an unconverted try after gathering a ball which came straight back out of the mouth of the scrum and taking it through a few phases to get across the whitewash. If one were to be overly critical, the referee should have called for a scrum reset, but he was on the opposite side of the scrum and could not see that the ball had spurted directly out of the tunnel. Such are the vagaries of the game.
Rodrigues was successful with two more penalty conversions which put Toti into a 21-19 lead with 10 minutes to go in the match. The pendulum then swung dramatically in Rovers’ favour when two players from Toti were ordered to the sin bin and the visitors were now left to face a desperate Rovers team with 13 men. The dam wall eventually had to burst and Rovers replacement, lock Paul Bester went over for the winning try minutes before the final hooter. Toti tried bravely to wrest the game back, but it was not meant to be and a heartbroken Toti team were left to rue missed opportunities in a game that was there for the taking.
Eagle Canyon Spur man of the match awards went to lock John Wilsnach in the forwards, and Le Roux van Zyl in the backs
There is a week off for all premier division teams this week, after which Toti takes on SA Home Loans Durban Collegians on Saturday, 9 July at Hutchison Park. Kick-off for this game is scheduled for 3.30pm.
