Germiston Simmer Rugby Club participated in the Golden Lion’s annual Sevens Tournament, on February 21 and 22, at the Alberton Rugby Club.
The u-20 team and the senior side represented the club.
The two teams had to compete against the formidable UJ A, Union and Harlequins sides, on the Saturday, which started off as a wet and cold day.
The junior side (u-20) started the tournament on a good note, beating Union 21-22, while the seniors had grinder of a game, but ultimately lost out.
In the next round, both local teams fell short against the very physical UJ A sides, which left the locals with a must win against Harlequins.
With the rain setting in, the conditions were a challenge for Simmers and, unfortunately, the juniors were on the losing side of the points board by the end whistle.
The senior side, however, found themselves in a very closely fought battle. With both sides needing to secure the number two spot, they both came out swinging and, in the end, Simmers came out on top, with a great win, beating Harlequins 17-14.
This left the Simmer senior side in the top cup quarters and the junior side in the bowl quarters.
The next day, Sunday, presented a whole new challenge; unlike the previous day’s wet and cold weather, it changed into a full-on heat wave.
The local seniors faced Alberton in the quarters, while the juniors took on Kagiso.
The juniors saw their way passed Kagiso with a convincing 31-5 win, while the seniors lost to Alberton.
With those results the Simmer seniors moved to the plate semis, while the juniors moved to the bowl semis.
The local junior side faced Union for the second time, and rampantly passed them with a 26-10 win.
The Simmer seniors then went up against the Raiders, which turned out to be a nail-biting semi; Simmers were able to see off the competition with a close and very tough win, scoring 14-5.
The final matches of the day saw the Simmer junior side play for the bowl against Pirates, while the seniors played for the plate against the impressive UJ B.
The juniors fought hard, but with injuries and fatigue setting in, the side ultimately went down to a formidable Pirates side.
The seniors’ match saw big hits coming from both sides, and great attacking play — both sides were in with a chance.
In the end, it was Simmers’ three tries against those of their opponents which gave them a memorable 17-5 win, making them the Plate champions.
The club extend their gratitude to the players and supporters.
With the Golden Lion’s annual Sevens Tournament done and dusted, the club have started training for the 15-aside season.
Before the league begins, Simmers have a number of friendly games in which they will take part, so as to prepare themselves for the league.
On March 7, the club will take part in the Nigel Rugby Day; they will then face Alberton on March 14 and, finally, East Rand Police on March 21.
The East Rand Police match will be the last friendly before the league, which that will commence soon after.
The club invite all players interested in joining their ranks during the coming season to report for practise on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, at the Germiston Stadium.
