Kearsney College and Northwood dished up a treat on Stott Field on Saturday, with the Knights turning an 11-point halftime deficit into an 11-point victory. Down 13-24 at the break, they won 45-34.
It was a richly entertaining game, with Kearsney profiting off Northwood’s errors in the first half to surge into the lead.
The visitors made it onto the scoreboard first from a penalty by Sondelani Sheleni, but Kearsney struck back within a couple of minutes after Northwood mishandled the kickoff, and Fynn Verbaan went over next to the uprights.
His halfback partner, flyhalf Dan Miskey, converted to make it 7-3.
A smoothly executed training ground move – a pick-up from the back of a five-metre scrum by 8th-man and captain Nhlanhla Ndlovu, followed by a flat pass to Keanu Williamson, running into a gap, put the centre over for Kearsney’s second try after 11 minutes, and Miskey’s extras made it 14-3.
Northwood pulled to within a point with another Sheleni penalty and a 27th-minute try from fullback Trevor van Volenstee after scrumhalf Ludi van der Walt had slipped through a gap around the edge of a ruck, and taken play into Kearsney’s 22. Kevin van Volenstee, Trevor’s younger brother, ran a good line to breach the Kearsney defensive line, and Trevor, supporting inside, took the scoring pass. Sheleni’s successful kick made it 14-13 to the hosts.
By halftime, though, Northwood had slipped from one to 11 points behind.
Trevor van Volenstee, attempting to run back a long kick into Northwood’s 22 from Miskey, was hit by Luke Grobbelaar and Keanu Williamson and coughed up possession. Williamson gratefully snatched the ball out of the air and ran through to score.
Miskey converted and added a penalty three minutes later to take the One-Stripe into a 24-13 halftime lead.
It took less than 10 minutes of the second half for the Knights to open up a six-point lead.
Just like the first half had begun, Sondelani Sheleni knocked over a penalty after three minutes.
Then right-wing Anesu Kuzonyei showed off one of his primary strengths when he won the aerial battle for a cross-kick from scrumhalf Van der Walt and dropped down over the try line for the visitors’ second try, which Sheleni converted.
Three minutes later, Northwood took a 30-24 lead in somewhat fortunate circumstances. Trevor van Volenstee was hammered in a tackle by Oliver Ludwig, resulting in the ball looping high into the air and, it appeared, forward. It looked like a knock-on. The referee, however, ruled that it had come off Ludwig and gone backwards.
While Kearsney’s defenders paused, Andile Thwala kept playing. He snapped up possession five metres inside Kearsney’s half, cut outside, then pulled off two inside steps to evade the cover defence and score. The home side was stunned, with some remonstrating, asking why the knock-on had not been blown.
Sheleni stepped up and converted to pour salt into Kearsney’s wounds.
With 20 minutes to play, the home team grabbed the lead again when their dynamic captain, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, ploughed over after snatching up a loose ball near the Northwood try line. Miskey’s conversion, from just right of the uprights, made it 31-30.
Within three minutes, the lead had changed hands again, when Northwood was awarded a penalty try after the home side collapsed the Knights’ rolling maul as it drove towards the try line.
A Josh Mills‘ penalty made it 41-30, but Dan Miskey reduced the lead to six points with his second penalty and sixth successful kick of the match, which brought his individual tally to 14 points. A converted try would win it for the home team.
Northwood, however, had the final say, with Trevor van Volenstee, who had an incident-packed game, sealing the deal with a fantastic solo effort, which began from 45 metres out, when he sold a dummy to rip a hole in the Kearsney defensive line. A stutter step and acceleration towards the touchline then enabled the fullback to make the dive for five in the left-hand corner.
Kearsney attacked with venom as time slipped away, laying siege to the Knights’ try line, but Northwood’s inspirational captain, Jamie Wimble, laid a hit on Kearsney hooker, Matthew Wilson, as he tried to take a gap, and the ball flew forward out of his grasp.
The referee blew the whistle, leaving Northwood the winners by a 45-34 margin after an entertaining back-and-forth battle.
Sondelani Sheleni, who missed only a 43-metre penalty right on the halftime whistle, contributed 15 points to the visitors’ win. Their five-four advantage in tries was a fair reflection of how tight the battle had been.
Scorers:
Northwood 45 (13) – Tries: Trevor van Volenstee (2), Anesu Kuzonyei, Andile Thwala, penalty try. Conversions: Sondelani Sheleni (3). Penalties: Sondelani Sheleni (3), Josh Mills. Kearsney College 34 (24) – Tries: Keanu Williamson (2), Fynn Verbaan, Nhlanhla Ndlovu. Conversions: Dan Miskey (4). Penalties: Dan Miskey (2).
Other results:
u19
II: Northwood 39 Kearsney 5
III: Northwood 43 Kearsney 17
IV: Northwood 38 Kearsney 0
V: Northwood 27 Kearsney 5
VI: Northwood 38 Kearsney 21
u16
A: Kearsney 12 Northwood 10
B: Kearsney 22 Northwood 7
C: Northwood 19 Kearsney 7
u15
A: Kearsney 24 Northwood 12
B: Kearsney 54 Northwood 3
C: Kearsney 21 Northwood 19
D: Kearsney 45 Northwood 14
u14
A: Kearsney 36 Northwood 10
B: Kearsney 24 Northwood 15
C: Northwood 22 Kearsney 15
D: Northwood 22 Kearsney 17
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