ALBERTON Madalas performed well in two tough games that they played at the Referees Golden Oldies Festival at Union Rugby Club on Saturday, February 3.
Although the Madalas were beaten by the Tendellas (two tries to one), they were able to overcome the Benoni Grizzlies with two tries to one in their final match of the day.
The festival was hosted by the Golden Lions Golden Oldies Referees, an association that was founded by the first chairman, Wally Rudman.
All Golden Oldies referees are qualified referees that have hung up their whistle. They referee games as normal except, as they are a bit older, they ref a game with two referees in order to limit the distance that they have to cover. According to vice-chairman Norman Turner, they are the only Golden Oldies referee association in the country and probably the world. Their dedication to the sport is beyond question. There are currently about 12 active referees taking part.
The three oldest referees are Norman Turner (72), André Nel (78) and Scott McNaughton (78 years old), who between them have an incredible 165 years of experience combined.
The Golden Lions Golden Oldies referee games at various festivals all over the country, and this year will be in Margate for a national festival taking place in September.
The first game the Madalas played was against Tendellas. During the pre-match talk, stand-in captain Johan Edwards emphasised the importance of letting the ball do the work. He also moved himself from wing to centre and proved he has unrivalled all-round skills. He made inroads with the ball in hand and spread the ball wide at will.
Unfortunately this type of rugby demands accuracy and is risky if you make mistakes. This is exactly what happened, and two turnovers from knock-ons resulted in opposition tries, while Cornelius van Wyk dotted down for the Madalas after a good backline move. The score of two tries to one was nowhere near an accurate reflection of the game.
By contrast, the second game was a brutal affair. There were a number of indiscretions and retaliations. One player remarked that the Madalas have played the Grizzlies in each of the last four festivals. This might be why there was so much needle in the game.
Retaliation can never be condoned, but in at least one incident it was understandable in response to an elbow in the face. In fact I would have taken sterner action.
The Madalas always love a challenge and it brings out the best in them. At one try apiece, Madalas’s try coming from Alan Watson, it looked like we might be heading for a stalemate, but Alberton had other ideas. Clayton Hollenbach came close with a super drive, but the defence was up to it. The Madalas upped the pace, and just before the end Alan Watson showed awesome pace and determination to score in the left-hand corner, giving the Madalas a well-earned victory.
Well done to the Madalas. It showed you are still a super team.
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