PHOTO: NORTHWOOD SCHOOL FACEBOOK
Hilton College 53–10 Kearsney College
Hilton wasted no time asserting dominance, with a lightning-fast backline move ending in a try for the right wing in the corner within the opening minute. The blistering pace was a warning shot of the onslaught to come.
From a Kearsney 22-meter drop-out, Hilton’s forwards reclaimed possession, and captain Liyema Nela showed his class, carving through defenders to set up Guy Fender for a clean finish under the sticks. Nela converted with ease.
A stolen lineout minutes later led to a crashing run from Hilton’s powerhouse No. 7, who bulldozed his way under the posts, again converted by Nela.
Kearsney managed to register their first points via a long-range penalty, but Hilton answered with one of their own, maintaining a commanding 24-3 lead.
Keeping the ball tight, Hilton’s phase play and forward domination earned them another penalty. A quick tap led to a beautifully spread wide move and yet another try, converted again by the ever-reliable Nela.
Even when things didn’t go to plan, Hilton struck gold. A charged-down cross-kick attempt bounced kindly, and the ball was shifted swiftly across the line. The fullback’s dazzling run ended with an offload to the right wing, who bagged his brace.
Reward came for the fullback shortly after, as his constant involvement was capped by a deserved try after stunning interplay between backs and forwards. The scoreboard read 39-3.
Kearsney’s miscommunication at the back gifted Nela an opportunity to quickly collect the ball, which he offloaded to the giant lock who thundered over in the corner, this time converted by a teammate.
The finishing touches came from Fender, who dotted down again after Hilton exposed a 4-man overlap. Though Kearsney found a late consolation through a silky move down the right, it barely scratched the surface of Hilton’s dominance.
Northwood 24–21 Maritzburg College
In a thrilling contest that swung back and forth like a pendulum, Northwood edged a dramatic 24-21 win over Maritzburg in one of the games of the weekend.
Maritzburg’s sharp-shooting winger Adam Cahill gave them an early lead with a confidently struck penalty, but Northwood responded swiftly through flyhalf Savio Stevens, who equalized with ease.
Moments later, Northwood struck from a 5-meter scrum. A deceptive loop from left wing Aphiwe Buthelezi opened up the space, and he dived under the posts untouched with Stevens adding the extras.
Cahill showed why he’s regarded as one of the province’s best young kickers, narrowing the gap with a long-range effort. At the break, Northwood led 10-6.
Maritzburg came out firing after halftime. Wasi Vyambwera powered over off a well-structured pod to grab his second try of the season, with Cahill nailing the conversion to take a 13-10 lead.
Another Cahill penalty extended the lead, and then came the moment of magic, a perfectly placed cross-kick finding Mkhize, who danced past defenders. Several phases later, a propm yes, a prop, bulldozed over in the corner. Cahill missed the tough conversion, but it felt like Maritzburg had done enough at 21-10.
But Northwood had other ideas.
With six minutes left, a penalty was kicked into the corner, setting up a rolling maul that ended with Jamie Wimble crashing over. Trevor von Vollenstein converted brilliantly from the sideline.
Then, in the dying seconds, Northwood launched a sweeping move. The ball landed in the hands of Jayden Smith, who broke four tackles on his way to a stunning last-gasp try. Von Vollenstein held his nerve to seal an unforgettable comeback.
Maritzburg had one final push, but a heartbreaking knock-on ended their hopes. It was a match worthy of a final.
