Great relief for Owls as they beat Brakpan
It was simply Boksburg's most important game of the campaign in order to still qualify for the playoffs.
It was a game TW Boksburg had to win – and they had to beat Brakpan handsomely.
Following a largely stressful Valke Peregrine League campaign, the Prince George Park outfit was handed their last chance to keep their playoff hopes alive against Brakpan at home on Saturday, July 21.
And their response was barely believable.
Francois Erasmus’ men had to produce the goods, with a bonus point, to have any hope of sneaking in the playoffs picture and as it turned out they saved their best performance of the season for their biggest match of the season.
They were usually first to 50-50 balls, they enjoyed large dominance in the set plays, they were sharper and ultimately, hungrier.
Their reward was a 66-31 bonus point triumph – exactly what the doctor ordered.
There were also multiple ironies in this one. Erasmus is Brakpan’s ex-coach, and, following the match, his current team had all but ended his former team’s season.
Brakpan, who played the Owls again this past weekend, but in Brakpan this time, still have a game remaining, and that’s a fixture they are highly unlikely to win; an away trip to rampant East Rand United, the Owls’ number one rivals, tomorrow (August 1).
Asked for his comment following the performance, a jubilant Erasmus commented, “First of all, it was a crucial win for us, we’re nearly there now. It was a very important game for us.
“A lot is at stake when Boksburg plays Brakpan, but we had the upper hand. We initially struggled at scrum-time but we got it together and started playing.
“Half-time we were in control, and that’s what we wanted. We wanted to be in control by half-time and then hammer them in the second half.”
A lot can impress a coach at the back of such a dominant showing under pressure but Erasmus pin-pointed the character the Owls showed as his highlight.
“We were down 0-7 before we started to play. We got three yellow cards but the guys didn’t take the foot off the pedal. They showed a lot of character and I’m really proud of them.”
Such was the drive behind the home side that it saw them through the entire 80 minutes without slowing down and/ or running out of puff midway through the encounter, unlike their past games, where they’ve done it so many times.
“The main thing was to get the okes mentally prepared,” explained the trainer.
“We struggled against the bigger teams where we would be good in the first half and then fall apart in the second half. Discipline is still a bit of an issue but it’s nothing that can’t be sorted.”
Owls frontman and lock forward, Willem Botes, echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“It was a very important win for us and we knew it would be easy but I must say, my guys played well and I am proud of them,” said the skipper, who produced some important carries to get his side over the advantage line.
“Our discipline was a problem again but we still managed to pull through. I have a good team that knows what to expect in the semis.”
The encounter, which was Boksburg’s penultimate in the round-robin phase, saw the Owls take a 35-14 half-time lead. – @SabeloBoksburg
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