Club Rugby Round-up – Special milestones for Swallows and Universal
Rugby Commentary in Xhosa
The club rugby spotlight will fall squarely on East London and Kimberley this weekend when two local clubs celebrate historic milestones during the hosting of two of SARU’s flagship annual Easter tournaments.
Swallows of Border celebrate their 100th anniversary this year while Griqualand West’s Universals turn 125.
“Rugby has always been central to the heartbeat of the people of the Eastern Cape,” said Swallows president Monwabisi Yako. “Our motto, Pari Passu, is Latin for ‘with equal pace’ or ‘together’. That is how we managed to survive through all these years – something everyone who was ever part of Swallows can be immensely proud of.”
A number of clubs from around the country have been invited to play in the Swallows festival, including Langa (WP), Never Despair (Boland), African Bombers and Spring Rose (EP), and Winter Rose, Ngqamakhwe, Ntlaza and Breakers (Border).
Swallows geared up for their Easter tournament with a narrow 15-13 loss to unbeaten Cambridge in the Border Super League.
In premier league action from elsewhere around the country, national club champions Jonsson College Rovers of Durban kicked off the defence of their KZN Fidelity Security Premier Division title with a hard-fought 21-7 away win over Varsity Shield team FNB UKZN Pietermaritzburg.
In a match played in unseasonally wet conditions, Rovers, who are aiming for a sixth consecutive Moor Cup title, scored two tries, via prop Roy Godfrey and scrumhalf Shannon Rick. Former SA Schools fullback Chris Micklewood kicked 11 points.
The Moor Cup is 135 years old and one of the most prized pieces of silverware in SA club rugby, while the KZN Premier Division is one of the most competitive leagues in the country – the last time a team other than Rovers qualified for the National Club Champs was in 2005, when Acer Durban Collegians reached the semifinals.
Under their astute veteran coach Ray van Noordwyk, Collegians sent a clear signal to their rivals with a 68-3 victory over Fidelity Security Jaguars. Goss & Balfe Crusaders, coached by former Springbok lock Steve Atherton, beat Thanda ZRA Zululand Rhinos 14-8 in Empangeni while Bluff Superspar Harlequins beat Varsity College Old Boys 18-14.
The wet weather wasn’t restricted to Durban, with the opening rounds of both the Golden Lions’ Pirates Grand Challenge and Predator Leagues, as well as the Blue Bulls’ Carlton League heavily affected by rain.
In Johannesburg, FNB Varsity Shield runners-up Wits University’s match against Rustenburg Impala had to be called off because of a waterlogged field. Pirates and Roodepoort were luckier, winning their opening matches against Alberton and Union respectively.
Across the Jukskei, Varsity Cup runners-up FNB Tuks kicked off their Carlton League title defence with a 27-13 victory over Pretoria Harlequins. Last year’s finalists, Pretoria Police, began with a surprisingly one-sided 21-3 win over Centurion while Naka Bulls edged TUT 29-27.
Champions Roses United made it four from four in the Boland Premier League with a 23-12 win over Wellington; Eastern Province champions Progress beat Suburban 17-12 while there was also a first-ever victory in the Grand Challenge for African Bombers, who beat PE Harlequins 6-5.
2009 Free State champions Old Greys picked up their first win of the season with a 37-30 win over Free State University’s second team, Irawas, while Griffons champions Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere suffered a 44-24 loss to arch-rivals Welkom.
Mpumalanga champions Middelburg hammered Matla 88-12, SWD title holders Barbarians of Mossel Bay beat George 18-6, and Valke heavyweights Springs showed why they are favourites once again for the Peregrine Super League title with a 76-3 victory over Boksburg.
In the Western Province Super League A, 2009 National Club Champions Hamilton began their title chase with a 36-31 win over Helderberg. Stellenbosch University’s two teams, FNB Maties and Steinhoff Victorians, went one-two in the league with wins over SK Walmers and False Bay respectively, while FNB UCT beat Durbanville-Bellville 17-11.
The team that finishes top of the league after the first round qualifies for the National Club Champs, and the newly-crowned Varsity Cup champions, who have already suffered two losses, will have to pull out all the stops if they hope to qualify for the Club Champs for the first time in their history.
• For nationwide results from the past weekend, log on to www.sarugby.co.za and click on the Club Rugby link.
• There are more than 800 clubs affiliated to the 14 provincial unions, of which a total of 133 compete in their respective top leagues this year for the chance to qualify for the season-ending National Club Championships, taking place from 17-23 September in Stellenbosch.
• SARU will publish a national club rugby round-up every Tuesday until the end of September. In addition, weekly fixtures, results and logs from the 14 top provincial leagues will be updated throughout the season on the SARU website.
• You can also follow SARU’s club rugby coverage on Twitter at @saclubrugby
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