Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s rugby teams traveled to Woodridge College in Gqeberha this past Saturday for their annual rugby derby, a much-anticipated event following last year’s narrow defeat.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 1𝙨𝙩 𝙓𝙑 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝, 𝙖𝙨 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚’𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩-𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.
The match started with Woodridge College taking the lead, scoring 19 points by halftime despite Union’s dominance in possession and territory. 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 0-19 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬.
However, the second half saw a remarkable turnaround for Union’s 1st XV. They tightened their play, executing their structure and set pieces effectively. This newfound cohesion led to Union’s first points through a maul try. Momentum built, and Union scored three more tries. Despite failing to convert these tries, Union’s tally reached 20 points, overtaking Woodridge’s 19 points.𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝟮𝟬-𝟭𝟵 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
Other matches saw mixed results for Union:
• U14: Union 7 – 40 Woodridge
• U15: Union 3 – 24 Woodridge
• U16: Union 15 – 12 Woodridge
In a nail-biting encounter, the Union High Schools U16A rugby team faced off against Woodridge College. The game was closely contested, with both teams giving their all. As the clock ticked down, Union found themselves trailing by just four points. Woodridge College was on the attack, putting immense pressure on the U16A defence. In a dramatic turn of events, we managed to regain possession of the ball. With determination and skill, they orchestrated a beautiful try. Josh Arends ran a brilliant line, crossing the try line to secure victory for the team. Similo Mvandaba sealed the deal with a drop kick conversion.
The final whistle blew, and the team celebrated their hard-fought win. It was a testament to their teamwork, resilience, and unwavering spirit.
• 2nd XV: Union 7 – 17 Woodridge
𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1𝘴𝘵 𝘟𝘝’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺.