Queen’s College came, saw, and conquered as they denied their arch-rival, Dale College, the finish to the season they wanted with a 22-12 victory at The Graveyard in their King Price Derby Series encounter in Qonce on Saturday.
The home side held a narrow 12-7 lead at halftime, but Queen’s struck swiftly after the break, scoring twice within 11 minutes to turn the deficit into a 19-12 advantage and seize control of the match.
Dale refused to surrender and threw everything at the visitors in an effort to get back into the contest. But the scoreboard pressure increasingly forced them into desperate measures, with Queen’s producing a disciplined defensive display to repel their attacks.
The Queenians, meanwhile, were prepared to bide their time before launching their own attacks, while an intelligent kicking game repeatedly pinned Dale deep in their own half.
The turnaround came soon after the restart when Queen’s fullback Inga Mnunu showcased his silky running skills, using pace and a well-timed dummy to outwit the Dale defence and score in the corner. That levelled the scores, and nine minutes later the visitors hit the front.
Another attack inside the Dale 22 ended with the ball in the hands of the powerful prop Zeacke Mata. After shrugging off one defender, a gap opened in front of him, and he virtually strolled over for Queen’s third try.
Flyhalf Bongo Nyakaza added the conversion to put the visitors 19-12 ahead, and Queen’s underlined their determination to secure the victory when they opted for a shot at goal from a penalty in the 54th minute. Nyakaza was again accurate, stretching the lead to 22-12.
Although the arm-wrestle continued all the way to the final whistle, Queen’s never allowed Dale to regain the initiative and held on for a deserved victory.
Dale had made a lightning start, taking the lead in only the second minute when flyhalf Sonwabise Dyani produced a pinpoint cross-kick which found centre Achumile George. He raced over in the corner to give the home side an early 5-0 advantage.
But Dale was caught napping moments later when Queen’s executed a blindside move from a scrum inside the home side’s half. Wing Sinqobile Xhentsa found himself in acres of space and ran in untouched for the visitors’ first try, with Nyakaza adding the conversion.
Dale regained the lead through a well-worked attack, a clever inside pass opening the way for wing Oluhle Skom to score near the posts. The conversion put Dale 12-7 ahead, a lead they carried into the interval.
The result means neither Queen’s, Dale, nor Selborne was able to complete a season double over the other two schools, with each team recording one win and one defeat in their head-to-head encounters.
Scorers:
Queen’s College 22 (7) – Tries: Sinqobile Xhentsa, Inga Mnunu, Zeacke Mata. Penalty: Bongo Nyakaza. Conversions: Nyakaza (2). Dale College 12 (12) – Tries: Achumile George, Oluhle Skom. Conversion: Sonwabise Dyani.
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