HOËRSKOOL Marais Viljoen got their year off to a winning start when they triumphed 12-7 over Potch Volkskool on Saturday, February 27, at Marais Viljoen.
The game was as tough as they come and sadly the referee halted the game about 10 minutes short of time due to recurring fighting.
The hosts started incredibly well and were deservedly on the board within the first few minutes of the game with a try by Jacques van Wyngaart.
Marais Viljoen’s backline was in great form and they forced the visitors to make a lot of tackles especially in the first half. To their credit, after the first try, Volkies really defended well often making tackles, two defenders at a time. The hosts rarely seemed to knock-on the ball from these situations and this led to extra pressure on the Volkies backline.
The line-outs and loose scrums were hotly contested but Volkskool had the better of the Marais Viljoen scrum. This led to the try that the visitors scored at the break to trail 12-7.
Marais Viljoen’s second try was scored by Stef Cloete and converted by Dawie Botha.
Volkies continued to put pressure on their hosts in the second half but the defence of the boys in blue was up to the task every time.
Then came the unsavoury incident which led to three Marais Viljoen players and a Volkies player being sent off. Whose fault it was can be debated but full marks must go to the referee who with his assistants took the correct decisive action. This normally has the effect of calming down the situation.
Once the game resumed however it was not long before a scuffle broke out again. Wisely the game was then halted before it blew up again.
Up to the incident it was actually a good game of rugby, however Marais Viljoen was the better team in attack and on defence. Maybe a bit of inexperience made the game harder than it actually needed to be but if Marais Viljoen can remain calm under pressure they will surely be a force to be reckoned with this year.
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