Rondebosch, Wynberg in a thriller derby
In an intense southern suburbs derby, Rondebosch Boys’ High scored a last-minute try to beat Wynberg Boys’, with a final score of 20-16.
The thrilling school rugby match took place at the home of Rondebosch where the Bosch boys were looking for a way to bounce back from last week's defeat at the hands of Paul Roos.
Wynberg were also looking for a win after their narrow defeat at Paarl Boys’ a week ago, where they went down 29-33.
The Tinkie Heyns ground was packed with passionate supporters from both sides.
Wynberg started the game strong, establishing a solid foundation in the first half but Rondebosch's defence did not crack. Heading into the break with 10-0 was Wynberg.
Six minutes after the start of the second half, Juma Amissi intercepted a pass just inside Wynberg’s 10-meter line and all he could see in front of him was the green grass as he went over the line for the home side’s first score.
Wynberg extended their lead to eight with a penalty but Rondebosch hit back with their own three-pointer to cut the deficit to five midway through the second half. Another converted penalty by Wynberg increased their lead back to eight.
At this stage, Rondebosch piled on the pressure and most of the possession was on the Wynberg side of the field. Despite that, they could not find a way to break through the strong wall defending Wynberg's try line.
It looked like Wynberg did enough to stop the relentless attack by Rondebosch and with an eight-point cushion with a minute remaining, the match was all theirs - or so everyone watching thought.
With seconds ticking down, that Wynberg defence line would be finally breached by Rondebosch and the conversion that followed kept the scores at 16-15, making for a thrilling end to the game.
The restart happened with under 10 seconds to the horn but Rondebosch secured possession of the ball with zero time remaining on the clock and broke through Wynberg's defence from inside their half for a match-winning try after a blitz from Ethan Gordon for a final score of 20-16 that sent the Rondebosch supporters into a frenzy.
Although Wynberg fell short in their battle against Rondebosch, their performance showcased their resilience and they fought until the very end, and both teams left it all on the field.
On the other side of the southern suburbs, Bishops College faced off against the visiting Stellenberg High School.
Bishops showcased their prowess, emerging victorious with a convincing 22-7 scoreline.
The game reached its climax in the final minutes when Bishops unleashed a relentless assault, scoring two crucial tries in the dying minutes of the game that secured the hard-earned victory. The two tries came in the last five minutes of the game as before then the game had looked like it could go either way with the scores 8-7 in favour of Bishops.
Next on the agenda for Rondebosch is Paarl Boys’ who they welcome to their home this Saturday. Two weeks in a row losing in the final stages of the game, Wynberg will be looking to overcome that when they visit Boland Landbou. Bishops will be welcoming Paarl Gim.
