Maidza: "We’re not going to let NMMU down.”

After the best possible start to their 2014 Varsity Cup campaign against Maties and UJ, the NMMU Madibaz have lost two consecutive matches and slipped down to 6th place on the log. 

A record 45 - 29 opening round win against Maties which they followed up with a 21 - 15 win over UJ, but failed to build on that momentum when they lost to Ikeys, 13 - 26, and received a 16 - 52 thumping from the NWU-Pukke boys on Monday night. 

David Maidza, head coach of NMMU, said that his team was simply outplayed on Monday night.

“We were outmuscled, outplayed and outsmarted. Pukke got all the basics right and did everything they were supposed to do.

He said six of Pukke’s seven tries were the result of errors by the Port Elizabeth team.

“You cannot play rugby like that. We need to address the mistakes and fix them as quickly as possible.”

NMMU failed to put any points on the board in the first half, and were trailing 0 - 23 at the break. 

Outside center Michael Bernardt scored NMMU's first try in the 64th minute, his second try followed 2 minutes later, just to bring the score a little bit more pleasing to the eye at 16 - 39 with 14 minutes to go. Pukke however put the final nails in NMMU's coffin as they scored a further two tries to take the final score to 52 - 16.

Maidza is still optimistic and said the competition is still far from over, and that they would go back to basics for the remaining round-robin matches.

“There’s not a chance that we’re going to drop our heads now. It’s going to be up until the last game and we have to play.”

“The players know what is required of them – that we never lie down. I don’t think we can play any poorer than what we did on Monday.”

“We know we’ve dug ourselves into a bit of a hole and it’s our responsibility as a team to get ourselves out of that.

NMMU's next fixture is against Wits at Wits Rugby Stadium in Johannesburg, followed by two more away games against Tuks and Shimlas to finish off the round-robin stages. 

“We’ve just got to make the most of where we are at the moment and concentrate on the next game against Wits.

“We must make sure that we prepare thoroughly and come away with nothing less than a win.”

More than any single result, Maidza said it was vital that they continue moving forward with the plans and ambitions of the club.

“There’s not a chance that we’re going to let our supporters down or the people that want to come to this club. We’re not going to let NMMU down.”

Players, coaches and pre season friendlies

EP Rugby confirmed at the end of last year that they will be playing the Cheetahs, Lions and the Stormers in pre season friendlies at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in Port Elizabeth. The Southern Kings franchise will take on the Cheetahs in the first friendly in two weeks time, on the 25th of January, followed by the Lions, and finishing off on the 7th of February against the Stormers.

In last years Super Rugby competition, the Southern Kings lost to the Cheetahs 12 - 26 in Bloemfontein and 22 - 34 in their return leg in Port Elizabeth. They pushed the Stormers in Cape Town and narrowly lost out on a losing bonus point, as the final score ended 11 - 19. They failed to produce the goods at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and went down 12 - 24. The Southern Kings faced the relegated Lions in a home and away promotion / relegation match at the end of competition, with the Lions winning the first one in Port Elizabeth with 7 points, 26 - 19. The Southern Kings had to beat the Lions at home by 8 points to secure another year in the competition. At the end they did manage the unexpected by beating the Lions in front of a packed Ellis Park, but were unable to wipe out the 7 point deficit as the game ended 23 - 18, in favour of the Southern Kings.

A max exodus of players and coaches followed after the Southern Kings failed to secure another year in Super Rugby. There were a lot of positives and negatives for the union in their 1 year inclusion as many fringe players stepped up to the plate to be accounted for. The players earned respect as they battled week in and week out against the best in the world. The result was that many left to go play either overseas or to join other South African unions to play Currie Cup. 

Two of them played in the final as Demetri Catrakilis went back to Western Province and SP Marais accepted an offer from the Currie Cup Champions, the Sharks. While Wimpie van der Walt, Andries Strauss, Cornel du Preez and Schalk Ferreira all opted for overseas contracts. And with more local players invited to Super Rugby training camps like Rynier Bernardo and Shane Gates at the Cheetahs and Scott van Breda at the Stormers they could face losing more valuable players. 

With the uncertainty of playing Currie Cup Premier Division the Kings opted to invest in a lot of their u21 players, who did the province proud as they won the B section of the ABSA u21 Competition.

The Kings have also done well to secure new coaching staff as they start rebuilding towards Super Rugby 2016. Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons, parted ways with the Kings to take up a position at Edinburgh Rugby in Scotland. Head Coach, Matt Sexton, went back to New Zealand, and Vodacom Cup and EP Kings Currie Cup coach, David Maidza, took over as head coach at the NMMU Madibaz. The Kings have managed to secure the services of Michael Horak, who's been the defence coach for the Cheetahs since 2010. Former New Zealand fly-half Carlos Spencer, who coached at the Lions and the Sharks, has also signed a 5 year deal as he will be focusing on the back line and skills training. With Solomons position still available, one can only hope the rumours of former Springbok Assistant Coach and Head Coach of Bath Rugby, Gary Gold, are true and he'll make his way to Port Elizabeth in the near future.

Tickets for the friendlies will be available at the EP Rugby offices or at Compu Ticket for R50. 

Did SARU fail EP Rugby?

The 2013 season could easily be the best season in the history of EP Rugby. From club level through to junior structures, varsity and senior level. The season however did not come without disappointment, but the union layed some solid foundations for the future.

Despatch Rugby Club won the first SARU Community Cup, previously known as the National Club Championship, when they beat College Rovers in the final. NMMU Madibaz reached the semi-final of the Varsity Cup for the first time since the start of the competition in 2008. Both the EP Kings u19 and u21s won their respective competitions. The EP Kings finished 3rd in the Southern Section of the Vodacom Cup.

At senior level the Southern Kings played their first season of Super Rugby. They did finish at the bottom of the log and did lose their Super Rugby status to the Lions, but it opened the door for so many fringe players making a name for themselves on an International stage. Probably the most memoral games would be their opening win against the Western Force at a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and their draw against the 2013 runners up, Brumbies, in Australia. What good did SARU do to give the Southern Kings a single year in Super Rugby?

After a slow start to their 1st Division campaign, they recovered from their early loses to reach their 4th concecutive final in the ABSA Currie Cup 1st Division. 

EP Rugby had a promising year and the future looked bright as SARU planned to include an extra two teams to the Premier Division of the Currie Cup, something special was happening in the Eastern Cape. 

The Pumas qualified for the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division, after beating the EP Kings in the 1st Division Final and beating Griquas in the promotion/relegation matches.

A season in the 1st Division could be devastating for any Premier Division side essentially if it is one of your smaller unions. Losing sponsors and players being your biggest dangers. Look at what happened to the Leopards and Boland. For the 2014 season Griquas have lost 22 players, with the most notable being Willie le Roux and Lourens Adriaanse. With the uncertainty surrounding the EP Kings and their possible entry to the Premier Division, 32 players have decided to leave the province and play elsewhere. Many are against SARUs proposal of giving EP Rugby a "free ride" to the Premier Division of the Currie Cup and say they must earn their place. 32 players left, and with no draw card to lure players to the province, how can they put themselves in a position to earn a spot in the Premier Division.

The reality is, players want to play Super Rugby and Currie Cup. Would players like Steven Sykes, Andries Strauss or Demitri Catrakilis even have considered to come down to Port Elizabeth if the Southern Kings did not play Super Rugby. Would the Sharks have offered SP Marais a contract if he did not play Super Rugby, the same goes for Jacques Engelbrecht going to the Bulls. Would there have been any interest in Sergeal Petersen? Players like Wimpie van der Walt, Cornell du Preez and Schalk Ferreira getting contracts with overseas clubs. The same goes for Griquas playes like Riaan Viljoen, Willie le Roux and Lourens Adriaanse. Would le Roux and Adriaanse have played for the Springboks if they did not play Super Rugby for the Cheetahs.

Some of the best rugby schools are down in the Eastern Cape, some of your best players come from the Eastern Cape. It will only be a positive move for SA Rugby and EP Rugby if SARU introduces EP Rugby back to Premier Division Currie Cup rugby. Its a professional era and players have the option to play where they choose, but for most of the Eastern Cape boys its a case of forcing them to play elsewhere. Often playing for a different province means you second or third choice behind a local player, getting 5 or 10 minutes every Saturday. Let the EP Kings play Currie Cup, give the province and their players full exposure, they have shown us their commitment during Super Rugby, how much more will they achieve with a few seasons of Currie Cup Premier Division. 

Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens

This past weekend was round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series, and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable one. Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has been hosting this event for the last three years since 2011.

In 2011, New Zealand beat South Africa in the Cup Final 31 - 26. Samoa took third place by beating England 17 - 14. Wales beat Fiji in the Plate, Scotland beat Canada in the Bowl and Zimbabwe beat Kenya in the Shield. South Africa finished their pool stages with a clean slate and scoring 104 points, New Zealand scored 125 points and conceded 7. Over the 45 matches played, 257 tries were scored with Frank Halai from New  Zealand being the top try scorer with 10 tries. New Zealanders Junior Tomasi Cama and Frank Halai was also the top points scorers with 50 points each.   

In 2012, New Zealand again won the Cup, this time beating France 47 - 12. After losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals, South Africa played Argentina beating them 35 - 0 to take Third place. In a repeat of the previous year's final, Wales beat Fiji to win the Plate final. Australia won the Bowl final by beating Samoa and Spain beat Zimbabwe in the Shield final. South Africa finished top of the pool scoring 58 points and conceding 19. Cup Winners New Zealand ended second behind Fiji in their pool, scoring 50 and conceding 38 points. Over the 45 games played, 235 tries were scored with Kurt Baker topping the tries column with 8. Baker was also the top points scorer with 40 points.  

For the last two years New Zealand had the favour of the crowd with back to back Cup trophies, but 2013 South Africa had a different motivation. The crowd also played their part in coming out in numbers to support the Blitz Bokke, 26 908 on the Saturday and 30 860 on the Sunday to watch South Africa beat New Zealand 17 - 14 in the Cup final. 

Samoa beat Argentina 21 - 7 to take Third place, Fiji took the Plate after beating France, England beat Australia in the Bowl final and Scotland beat Canada in the Shield final. Both South Africa and New Zealand conceded two tries during the round robin matches with South Africa scoring 89 points with 15 tries and New Zealand scoring 120 points with 22 tries. Australia's Shannon Walker was the top try scorer with 9 tries, the closest South Africans were, team captain Kyle Brown, Branco du Preez and Werner Kok on 4 a piece and Justin Geduld on 3. 

After Sundays win the Blitz Bokke moved back to no 2 on the series standings, two points behind New Zealand on 58 and a comfortable 8 points ahead of no 3, Fiji.

New Zealand have won the most titles since the IRB Sevens World Series started in 1999, with a total of 11, they are also the current holders of the title. Only 3 other countries have managed to take this title away from New Zealand, Fiji won in 2005/06, South Africa in 2008/09 and Samoa in 2009/10. New Zealand is also leading the overall table after 14 season on 137.07 points with Fiji second on 116.28 points and South Africa third on 95.92 points.

All time top try scorers are Santiago Gomez Cora  from Argentina with 230 tries, Ben Gollings from England on 220 and Fabian Juries from South Africa on 179. Active players are Collings Injera from Kenya in forth with 167 tries, Tomasi Cama from New Zealand in sixth on 145 tries and Dan Norton from England seventh on 143 tries. The top active points scorer for South Africa is Cecil Afrika in 9th place on 820. Frankie Horne is 8th on the list of most appearances, 51.

Round 4 will take the teams to Las Vegas, where South Africa will share Pool A with Kenya, Wales and Canada.   

Touch Isithembiso

This past Saturday Isithembiso Babies Home had its first touch rugby fundraiser, Touch Isithembiso. The fundraiser consisted of ten invitational teams playing in two pools. The inter-pool round robins were followed by the two top teams from each pool going through to the semi finals. The losing finalists played in a 3rd/4th play-off which was followed by the final.

Isithembiso officially opened their doors on the 1st of November 2005, and has cared for more than 60 babies to date. Isithembiso is a place of safety for children between the ages of 0-3 years who have been abandoned, abused, neglected or orphaned. We work hand in hand with social services to find these children new families or to reunite them with their biological family according to their individual case.

Isithembiso's mission is to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Proverbs 31 v 8-9 “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor & needy.” Secondly, to reach the community by providing a safe home for children these children.

Isithembiso takes a maximum of 6 children at a time. The reason that they want 6 babies in the home at a time is that at the age of five, the brain has reached 90 percent of its adult size and the child’s emotional, behavioural, cognitive and social foundation is set for the rest of the individual’s life. They are therefore very much aware of the responsibility they have of taking care of these children at such an incredibly critical stage of their lives. To do this well they need to be able to give much one-on-one time to each individual child. The goal being to restore love, trust and security to these little ones who have had such traumatic starts to life, as well as physically rehabilitate the many children who come into their home who are often far behind on developmental milestones due to malnourishment, neglect and abuse.

 

Isithembiso relies solely on the donations of individuals and businesses to run from month to month. Some of thier expenses include rent, the salaries of the 6 staff members, rates and the general running of the household.

 

If you would like to get involved in assisting them in any way or visit the home so that you can get a better idea of what they do and who they are doing it for, you can contact Carmen Faragher | Home administrator to set up an appointment.

 

For any further information please feel free to check out their website www.isithembiso.org and/or ‘LIKE’ their facebook page. You can also contact them on 041 581 0374.

The semi-finals were played between Die Grensvegters, Varsity Reds, The Slayers and The Trojans. Die Grensvegters beat Varsity Reds 8 - 4 in the one semi-final with The Trojans beating The Slayers 7 - 1 in the other. The Slayers beat Varsity Reds 6 - 4 to take the 3rd place, with the final being played between the two better sides on the day as The Trojans beat Die Grensvegters, 8 - 1, in a somewhat one sided game.

A special thanks to Nutri Tech, USN, Tsitsikamma Crystal, Action Sports, AG Aviation Africa and all the teams for their contributions in making the day a success. 

Kings Academy u19 squad for 2014

There is no denying the past 6 months have been tough for the Eastern Province Kings as a union, from failing to retain a number of players after being relegated from Super Rugby right through to severe financial loss and ultimately failing to defend their Currie Cup First Division title. Through all of this, there have been great positives in the junior structures. None more so than with the Eastern Province u19s who deservedly beat Border 27-20 in the u19 promotion-relegation game to earn promotion to the u19 Premier Division for the 2014 season. The win will hopefully bring back a sense of belief among a group of dejected supporters reflected in the dwindling numbers at the games from Super Rugby to Currie Cup.

 

The Kings Academy is quite upbeat about next year as they have contracted a strong group of 21 u18 schoolboys for next year’s competition; the group primarily consists of Eastern Cape talent with only 2 players from outside the province. Matthew Jackson is a tighthead prop who captained the Westville 1st rugby team in KZN; he’s a big man who tips the scale at 123kgs. Luke Houba is a scrumhalf who was one of the influential players for the Rondebosch 1st XV in Cape Town and both he and Matthew will bring a new dimension to an already close group of Eastern Cape boys.

 

Grey High School in Port Elizabeth had the top 1st XV in the Eastern Cape as they went through the season unbeaten. Five boys from that 1st XV will join the academy, namely Gerrit Huisamen, Bathandwa Cafu, ThabaniMgugudo, Nick Beswick and CJ Velleman. Gerrit and Bathandwa featured for this year’s u19 side already and will bring good experience next year. Cyril-John Velleman is a very highly rated openside flanker and is technically 1 of the best schoolboy fetchers I have seen in years. His work rate and leadership are exceptional and I rate he was a dead certainty for SA Schools this year, but he got injured in the 1st game at Craven Week against Free State and missed the rest of the week.

 

The school with the 2nd most boys is St Andrew’s College of Grahamstown. The private school had a good 1st XV this year and it was reflected in the Craven Week side with 7 out of the 22 being scholars of St Andrew’s College, 4 of those boys will continue their rugby at the Kings next year. David Murray, Tyler Paul and Jason Baggott have already represented Eastern Province u19s. Eastern Province Country Districts Craven Week captain Sintu Manjezi who formed a dynamic lock pairing Tyler Paul, is the 4th Andrean, he boasts a good skillset and is a dominant figure in the lineouts. Using all 1.95m to good effect, he’s mobile and is an extra loose forward around the park.

 

There’s a school that’s flown under the radar this year which had a very good season, Cambridge High School have 3 lads coming to the Academy. Thembelihle Yase is a mobile loosehead prop who enjoyed a solid season for his school. He will be joined by Kweku Borsah, another mobile lock who could easily slot in at blindside, he has a really good work rate and has exceptional pace for a forward. Jason Reinecke had an impressive Craven Week at hooker for Border, although he played loose forward for his school, he will be primarily utilized at hooker for the Kings. Dale College adds to an already impressive contingent of Dalians at the Academy with 2 more loose forwards joining from Dale College. Qhama Mvimbi and Mihlali Nchukana played in the same loose trio and look to continue in the red and black hoops which are the traditional colours of Dale as well.

 

The numbers game comes to an end with the rest of the boys being the sole representatives of their schools. Luan Nieuwoudt is a player I’ve enjoyed since I watched him as an u16 for Eastern Province; he’s a player with massive potential and I look forward to following his progress. Somila Jho (older brother Ace Jho also at the Kings) is another very talented centre, great step and deceptive player, he has good pace as well.

 

Jason Vers captained Union High 1st XV this year and played Craven Week for Eastern Province at flyhalf. He varies his game really well and has a good tactical game, he’s got a natural attacking flair and is a headache for opposition defences when he’s on his game. Justin Hollis is another brilliant loose forward from Queen’s College, he can play at blindside or 8th man. His strength is unbelievable and he is dominant at the contact point. He’s a really good ball carrier and has a massive work rate on the park. He’ll thrive in the Kings setup. Malcolm Jaer is the only player to have represented SA u18 this year in this group; the hot stepping fullback who can slot in at flyhalf had a brilliant Craven Week for Eastern Province and the SA School’s cap was reward for excellent performances. He’ll be 1 of the leaders in the squad

(* represents Craven Week players)

 

Kings Academy u19 intake for 2014:

 

Props: Thembelihle Yase (Cambridge High School), David Murray*(St Andrew’s College), Matthew Jackson (Westville High School)

Hookers: Jason Reinecke* (Cambridge High School)

Locks: Tyler Paul* (St Andrew’s College), Sintu Manjezi* (St Andrew’s College), Gerrit Huisamen (Grey High School, PE),Kweku Borsah (Cambridge High School)

Loose Forwards: Mihlali Nchukana* (Dale College), QhamaMvimbi (Dale College), Cyril-John Velleman* (Grey High School, PE), Bathandwa Cafu* (Grey High School, PE), Justin Hollis* (Queen’s College)

Scrumhalves: Luke Houba (Rondebosch High School), NickBeswick (Grey High School, PE), Jason Baggott* (St Andrew’s College)

Flyhalves: Jason Vers* (Union High School)

Centres: Luan Nieuwoudt* (Nico Malan), Somila Jho* (Kingswood College)

Back 3: Thabani Mgugudo* (Grey High School, PE), Malcolm Jaer* (Die Brandwag)

Ludumo Nkabi - follow on twitter @ludz19

 

Kings u21 to play promo/relegation

Robbi Kempson’s men successfully defended the u21 B Division title last week against Boland u21s at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The men from Port Elizabeth didn’t have it all their way despite the score line of 59-19 reflecting a rather one sided affair.

The Kings struggled in the 1st half only leading 15-9 at the half way stage, they hit their straps in the 2nd half and produced a good showing, Kuhle Sonkosi particularly a prominent figure, the big man was tireless and would’ve reflected back on a good game. A number of the u21 lads will know what is expected having played here last year and lost narrowly in the same promotion game, the Kings lost 21-15 in a mud bath where the conditions were terrible and not condusive to the Kings game plan on the day.

Robbi Kempson named a strong side with a few changes for the important game. The forward pack is reshuffled for the game, Vukile Sofisa shifts back to loosehead prop following an ankle injury to Brendan Olivier last week. Dane will continue to captain the side from the middle of the front row at hooker. Pieter Stemmet comes back into the starting XV after a few weeks on the bench, he’ll start at tighthead. Kuhle Sonkosi is at 4 in the enforcer role and will be combining with Stefan Willemse who comes in for his 1st appearance of the season for the u21s. Willemse is an impressive physical specimen who will bring good height and bulk to the 2nd row; the former Paarl Gymnasium scholar had a very good season with the senior side and will look to bring good experience in the u21 side. Wayvern Smith is retained at openside flank while Claude Tshibidi will scrum down on the blindside flank, Kevin Kaba gets an opportunity to show what he can do at 8 in Aidon Davis’ absence after a knee injury in last week. The Queen’s College old boy played most of his final year at school in the no.8 jersey and will look to put in an impressive performance.

Dane, Wayvern, Vukile and Kuhle all played in last year’s promo-relegation game.  

The backline has fewer changes with Ace Jho coming in on the left wing for Sphu Msutwana whose problematic hamstring has caught up with him again. The rest of the backline is unchanged with Ivan Ludick and Ruan Allerston continuing as the halfback pairing. Shane Gates will play at inside centre and his experience will be very important in a game of such importance, he links up with Marlou van Niekerk in the centres to form a very good centre pairing. Jho is joined by constant figures in the no.14 and no.15 jerseys in Eben Barnard and Shakes Soyizwapi respectively. This forms a very potent back 3 boasting pace, flair, power and guile and should prove a handful for any side to look after.

Shakes, Eben, Marlou all played in last year’s promo-relegation game.  

The bench sees the return of Encoh Mnyaka to the 22 who hasn’t played since the early rounds to cover prop, the big front rower had an impressive start to his Kings career having already tasted senior action this season. Ruan Roberts cover the hooker from the bench. Brendan Hector also comes in for Stefan Zaayman who had to have stitches after coming off the bench last week in the final. Siphesihle Punguzwa is covering the loose forwards. Magic Majola who had a good cameo off the bench last week will continue to provide cover for scrumhalf, Gavin Hauptfleisch is covering 10 from the bench while young Jaco Bernardo (younger brother of Kings Super Rugby lock, Rynier Bernardo) comes into the match day 22 for the 1st time, the former Framesby inside centre will look to make an impact off the bench on his debut.

Good luck to Robbi, Stick and the lads, last year we fell at the final hurdle, let’s leap over this one with aplomb, best of luck #KingsArmy      

Kings u21:

15: Siviwe Soyizwapi (Dale College)
14: Eben Barnard (Brandwag)
13: Marlou van Niekerk (Marlow Landbou)
12: Shane Gates (Muir College)
11: Andile Jho (Dale College)
10: Ruan Allerston (Port Natal)
09: Ivan Ludick (Oakdale Landbou)
08: Kevin Kaba (Queen’s College)
07: Claude Tshibidi (Potch Boys’ High School)
06: Wayvern Smith (Brandwag)
05: Stefan Willemse (Paarl Gymnasium) 04: Kuhle Sonkosi (Westering High School)
03: Pieter Stemmet (Paul Roos Gymnasium)
02: Dane van der Westhuyzen (St Andrew’s College)
01: Vukile Sofisa (Grey High School, PE)  
Reserves:

16: Ruan Roberts (Daniel Pienaar)
17: Enoch Mnyaka (Dale College)
18: Brendan Hector (Union High School) 19: Siphesihle Punguzwa (Selborne College)
20: Sonwabo Majola (Muir College)
21: Gavin Hauptfleisch (Boishaai)
22: Jaco Bernardo (Framesby High School)  

HEAD COACH: Robbie Kempson ASSISTANT COACH: Mzwandile Stick

Ludumo Nkabi - follow on twitter @ludz19

Kings u19 to play Bulldogs in promotion/relegation

In what was a high scoring affair, the Eastern Province u19 side won the ABSA u19 B Division Competition last week against what was up until that point an unbeaten Valke u19 side. They put 56 points on the board, but would’ve been disappointed with their defensive efforts as they allowed the Valke to score 40 points. 

Upon chatting with a couple of lads it seems it was a case of Kings scoring and then the Valke replying immediately, it carried on in this manner until the Kings took it away in the end. That being said the Kings u19s were particularly in fine form on attack with both Selvyn Davids and Khaya Malotana grabbing a hat-trick of tries each. Selvyn being the MVP on the day with 5 conversions and 2 penalties added to his hattrick to take him to a tally of 31 points contributed. 

The Kings won and deservedly qualified for the u19 promotion / relegation game against Border, who they will take on today. Border might have lost all their games, but they are tough side to beat at the BCM Stadium and will have learnt a great deal from their 1st year in the ABSA u19 A Division Competition. The Kings will need to be on their A game today to emerge victorious in a tough encounter away from home. Coaches, Ryan Felix and Rory Duncan named a side with only 1 injury enforced change showing good continuity.  

 

The front row remains unchanged this week as well with St Andrew’s scholar David Murray continuing at loosehead prop. Grey boy JP Jamieson continues at hooker while Matthew Moore will pack down at tighthead prop. Stephan Ebersohn and Gerrit Huisamen have matured into a very good lock pairing, both for Grey and the Kings u19 side and will look to end their final game as a combination on a high by putting in the hard yards in the engine room. John Henry Schmitt is on the openside flanker while big Tyler Paul will pack down on the blindside flank. Erwin Slabbert who along with captain Mathew has played every single game this season completes the loose trio as he’ll line up at no.8. The forward unit is thus unchanged.

 

The backline which was responsible for most of the damage last week from a scoring point of view is also unchanged. Jason Baggott continues at scrumhalf and will form the halfback combination with Alex Banfield who will be entrusted with the no.10 jersey. Luan Nieuwoudt who had a few good breaks last week and linked up well with his outside backs starts again at 12 this week, Selyvn Davids will combine with Luan in the centres and the 2 Nico Malan boys who’ve enjoyed a good season as a combination for both school and province will also want to end their season as a combo on a good note. The back 3 is also unchanged with Sherwin Slater on the left wing, Sergeal continues with his stint with the u19s, a stint he told me in particular that he is enjoying, just playing with his mates and guys his age. Last week’s 3 try hero Khaya Malotana completes the back 3 and he’ll start at fullback for the 10th consecutive game this season making him the only backline player to play in all the games.

 

The 1 change on the bench is Mitchell Turner who comes in for Warren Swarts who was concussed last week. The rest of the bench remains the same, with former Pearson boy Jonathan deputising at hooker for JP Jamieson. Smija Qinelais covering loosehead and Kingswood tighthead prop Mvelo Khumalo completes the front row cover. Bathandwa Cafu is in the no.18 jersey and will primarily cover lock and loose forward while Dewald Meyer will also be deputising for the loose forwards. Francois Nel is covering scrumhalf while Mitchell Turner is a good flyhalf in the no.21 jersey. St Andrew’s schoolboy Ethan Fortuin rounds up the bench with the speed merchant covering outside centre and the back 3.

 

I spoke to Matty to get his finals words ahead of what is possibly their most important game of their season, “It means a lot to our team to play in this game because we know the union and the supporters are behind us, we want to make EP Rugby great again and back to the top, because they’re fighting for us to playing in the senior A division, so we junior sides also want do our part and play in the A Division.” He added, “It’s going to be tough tomorrow with the rain, but we’re up for it. It won’t be easy, but we’ll put everything into winning tomorrow.”

 

Matthew had the final word; all I can say from our side as Kings Supporters is good luck to the coaches and the men who will run out in the black and red tomorrow!!!

 

Kings u19:

 

15: Khaya Malotana (Queen’s College)

14: Sergeal Petersen (Grey High School, PE)

13: Selvyn Davids (Nico Malan)

12: Luan Nieuwoudt (Nico Malan)

11: Sherwin Slater (Andrew Rabie High School)

10: Alex Banfield (Grey High School, PE)

09: Jason Baggott (St Andrew’s College)

08: Erwin Slabbert (Framesby High School)

07: Tyler Paul (St Andrew’s College)

06:  John Henry Schmitt (Oudtshoorn High School)

05: Gerrit Huisamen (Grey High School, PE)

04: Stephan Ebersohn (Grey High School, PE

03: Matthew Moore © (Brandwag)

02: Jean Pierre Jamieson (Grey High School, PE)

01: David Murray (St Andrew’s College)

Reserves:

 

16: Jonathan Ford (Pearson High School)

17: Similile Qinela (Selborne College)

18: Bathandwa Cafu (Grey High School, PE)

19: Dewald Meyer (Otto du Plessis)

20: Francois Nel (Daniel Pienaar)

21: Mitchell Turner (Selborne College)

22: Ethan Fortuin (St Andrew’s College)

23: Mvelo Khumalo (Kingswood College)

HEAD COACH: Ryan Felix

ASSISTANT COACH: Rory Duncan

 

Ludumo Nkabi - follow on twitter @ludz19

 

Kings u21 smash Boland in final

The EP Kings u21 side had a fantastic u21 season, easing through their group stages, smashing the Griffons in the semi final and topping it off with 9 unbeaten matches as this years ABSA Under 21 Champions.

The Kings played Boland at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit this past Friday. The opposition was no match for the Kings as they turned a 15 - 9 half time lead to a 59 - 19 final score, scoring 8 tries to 1.

Boland opened the scoring with two penalty kicks through Ashley Esau taking an early 6 - 0 lead. The Kings replyed with a penalty from Ruan Allerston and a try from flanker Cluade Tshidibi, the conversion was missed by Allerston as the Kings took the lead, 8 - 6. Allerston strethed the lead to 5 after he slotted a drop goal with 15 minutes to play till half time. Kings prop, Brendon Olivier, scored their second try with two minutes to go till half time, Allerston added the extra two. There was still enough time for Esau to kick a penalty as first half ended 15 - 9 in favour of the Kings.

The Kings and Boland exchanged penalties at the start of the second half with the Kings kicking two and Boland one. Boland struggled to keep the Kings at bay as they scored 5 unanswered tries, the first through lock Sonkosi Khune, conversion succseful by Allerston. Fullback Siviwe Soyizwape was next to cross the line for the Kings with another successful kick from Allerston. Kings scrumhalf, Ivan Luddick, scored his teams 5th try as the game reached the final quarter, Marlou van Niekerk was unable to add the extra two. Right wing Siphumelele Msutwana ran in his first try of the match with van Niekerk adding the extra two.

The last ten minutes saw three tries scored, two by the Kings and one by Boland. Reserve loose forward, Siphesihle Punguzwa, added his name to the score sheet, with Gavin Hauptfleisch adding the extra two for the Kings. Boland however did manage to score a consolation try through no8, Conway Pretorius, conversion was successful by Esau.

It was a fitting end to the match as Kings Captain, Dane van der Westhuyzen, scored his teams final try, his try was converted by Hauptfleisch, bringing the final score to 59 - 19.

The Kings u21 side will join the u19s in East London this weekend as both will play Border in a promotion / relegation match to gain A Division status for 2014.

Kings u19 too good for Valke in final

The EP Kings u19s are the new ABSA Under 19 Champions, after beating the Valke in their final on Friday. The Kings were 31 - 16 up at half time and outscored the Valke 8 tries to 4, to bring the final score to 56 - 40.

The Kings scored 4 first half tries, the first after just 3 minutes of play. Selvyn Davids scored his teams first try but was unable to convert, as the Kings took an early 5 - 0 lead. Matthys Venter kicked a penalty for the Valke to take the score to 5 - 3, but a try through Kings captain Matthew Moore and a successful conversion from Davids gave the Kings a 12 - 3 lead. Venters accurate boot kept the Valke in the game with a drop goal minutes later followed by a penalty kick, and a successful conversion after a Marthinus Ueckermann try, taking a 16 - 12 lead after 20 minutes.

The Kings shifted into another gear as they scored 3 tries in the last 7 minutes before the half time break. The first try came through fullback Khaya Malotana as he scored the first of his three tries, Davids added the extra two as the Kings regained a 19 - 16  lead. Davids crossed the line for his second try and stretched the lead even further after adding the extra two points. The Kings ended the first half with a try through right wing Sergeal Peterson, ending the half on 31 - 16 after Davids was unsuccessful with the conversion.

Jean-Claude van Zyl was the first to cross the line for the Valke in second half, Venter converted and the Valke closed the gap to 8 points, trailing 23 - 31. Davids  added another penalty to give the Kings an 11 point lead with 20 minutes to go. It was however the Valke that answered back with two converted tries, the first came trough Andries Schutte and the second scored by Francwa Ueckermann. Ueckermanns try was also converted by Venter as the Valke took the lead for the second time in the match. The Kings hit back immediately as Malotana scored his second try of the match, conversion was unsuccessful by Davids as the Kings regained the lead yet again, 41 - 37.

With 5 minutes to go the game was still far from over as Venter took 3 points back for the Valke through a drop goal and sneaked closer to the Kings score. It was however the last points the Valke scored as Molatana scored his third try for the Kings, Davids added the extra two and the game seemed pretty much over with four minutes to go. However for Davids there was still enough time to kick a penalty and convert his hat-trick try, which he scored in injury time, to bring his personal contribution to 31 points and to bring the final score to 56 - 40.

The Kings will play the Border Bulldogs this weekend in East London in a once off promotion / relegation match, as they hope to get A Division status for the 2014 season.