They couldn’t quite pull it off, but Kearsney College pushed Maritzburg College to the brink before the visitors claimed a tight 24-22 King Price Derby Series victory in Botha’s Hill on Saturday.
On Founders Weekend, the One-Stripe did their alumni proud, going blow-for-blow with a confident and in-form College team, which ran its winning streak up to five matches with the victory.
That run began with a comfortable win over St Charles. That was followed by a one-point defeat of Durban High School (DHS), a three-point win over Northwood, and a five-point victory against Hilton College, which ended Hilton’s unbeaten season.
Early in the game, Maritzburg College controlled territory, playing the game deep in Kearsney’s half. The hosts’ tackling was sound until Matthew Harris was given some space wide on the left. He cut inside and sliced between two defenders before slipping a third tackle and diving over for the game’s opening try.
Dom du Toit‘s reliable boot gave the Red, Black, and White a 7-0 lead after seven minutes.
It took Kearsney five minutes to reply, thanks to a bit of backline magic. Centre Keanu Williamson drew in two defenders with a clever bit of running, then found fullback Lwazi Mbebe, whose presence opened up space for Luke Grobbelaar on the outside. As two covering defenders closed in on him, he chipped over the top and won the race to the ball to score in the right corner, which drew a huge roar of appreciation from the large crowd.
College was stunned in the 15th minute when Kearsney’s Nhlanhla Ndlovu, who has put together an exceptional highlight reel of spectacular plays this season, added another scintillating try. It began with the home side returning an exit kick from the halfway line.
Ndlovu, Kearsney’s captain, received the ball about 45 metres out, with Grobbelaar on his outside. He used the wing to draw the cover defence before cutting inside at speed to leave two men grasping at air. Then he angled back to the right and raced over in the right corner for a superb score.
He’s a number eight, but with the skills and pace of an inside centre, who reads the game exceptionally well. He identifies running lines and opportunities in the wink of an eye, and those qualities have brought him a boatload of tries.
Unfortunately for Kearsney, they scored their tries far from the posts, and the conversion attempt was wide, leaving them 10-7 ahead.
Just before halftime, though, they increased their advantage to 10 points when Keanu Williamson ran onto an overthrown lineout ball inside the College 22 and sliced into a gap against the grain. He was brought to ground just four metres from the try line. Last weekend, Hilton College was unable to pierce the Maritzburg College defence from close range, but the One-Stripe went over from fifth-phase ball, with the inspirational Ndlovu demonstrating his nose for the line by diving beneath the visitors’ defence for another five-pointer.
A Dan Miskey conversion gave Kearsney a 17-7 halftime lead. The previous week, they led 24-13 against Northwood before falling to a 45-34 defeat. Unfortunately for coach Grant Bashford’s side, they were again unable to hold onto their lead and win.
As they had done at the start of the game, College quickly set up camp in the Kearsney 22 when the second half began. Fullback Sandiswa Hadebe beat three players with a step off the right foot and was almost over, but the home team was penalised, and College hit the ball up through their forwards, with the industrious lock, Sean Jansen, crashing over in the 43rd minute to close the gap.
Du Toit’s sure boot pulled the visitors to within three points.
Jansen was again prominent, which led to another College try. He smashed through tackles and drew in defenders right next to the uprights, which allowed College to release the ball to Harris, on the left wing. He made the first defender miss with a step off his left foot, and then dived over in the corner for his second try.
Du Toit nailed a tough conversion kick from near the touchline to make it Maritzburg College 21 Kearsney College 17.
Fantastic hands and quick passing from Kearsney’s backs then gave the speedy Lwandle Mkhize space down the left touchline, and he hit the gas to score a superb try in the left corner. The conversion kick was wide, but Kearsney led by a point after 53 minutes.
Within a couple of minutes, College edged in front again. After Kearsney conceded a penalty on their 22, in front of the posts, Du Toit made them pay.
The contest had produced seven excellent tries, but despite 15 minutes remaining on the clock, neither side was able to add any more points.
In the end, scrumhalf Dom du Toit’s metronomic consistency with the boot decided the outcome of the game. Kearsney outscored Maritzburg College four tries to three, but the conversions favoured College three to one.
It was a narrow escape for the visitors, who had lost unexpectedly on their previous visit to Stott Field in 2024, going down 14-16 in their season opener.
Scorers:
Kearsney College 22 (17) – Tries: Nhlanhla Ndlovu (2), Luke Grobbelaar, Lwandle Mkhize. Conversion: Dan Miskey.
Maritzburg College 24 (7) – Tries: Matthew Harris (2), Sean Jansen. Conversions: Dom du Toit (3). Penalty: Dom du Toit.
Other results
u19
II: Maritzburg College 32 Kearsney 19
III: Maritzburg College 62 Kearsney 12
IV: Maritzburg College 21 Kearsney 5
V: Maritzburg College 28 Kearsney 7
VI: Maritzburg College 31 Kearsney 12
u16
A: Kearsney 33 Maritzburg College 22
B: Maritzburg College 17 Kearsney 10
C: Maritzburg College 48 Kearsney 0
u15
A: Maritzburg College 47 Kearsney 19
B: Kearsney 22 Maritzburg College 19
C: Maritzburg College 45 Kearsney 0
D: Maritzburg College 50 Kearsney 0
E: Hillcrest A 27 Maritzburg College 7
u14
A: Kearsney 22 Maritzburg College 17
B: Maritzburg College 17 Kearsney 14
C: Maritzburg College 50 Kearsney 0
D: Maritzburg College 50 Kearsney 0
Click here for more King Price Derby Series articles.
