The Senior Grand Challenge Rugby League kicked off last weekend.
Local club the Germiston Simmer Rugby Club took on the Harlequins Rugby Club at the Harlequins’ home ground in Pretoria.
After placing fourth in the Golden Lions Club Sevens Tournament earlier this year, a positive feeling has crept into the Germiston club, which promised to spill over into the 15-man game.
Saturday morning, April 2, arrived with more questions than answers as Simmer had never beaten the Harlequins on their home ground in recent history.
The club also felt that it was at least one friendly game short in terms of preparation.
The first team’s game started with captain Charl Wright, with a heavily bandaged middle finger, which had to have 12 stitches after a bad injury, taking the opening kick.
In the first 20 minutes of the match Simmer controlled the game through constructive mauls and controlled play in the contact situation by its forwards but several handling errors from Simmer meant the teams were drawn at half-time.
At the start of the second half the Harlequins pushed into the lead 14-12 but the Simmer boys gradually gained control of the game and added two more tries to the scoreboard.
The final score saw Simmer winning 24-14. The side’s tries were scored by Jason Janse van Vuuren, Andrew Gibbins, Wentzel Niemand and Anton Coetzee.
Man of the match was awarded to the entire Simmer team.
“After this match we will be working on lineouts, scrums, contact situations and fitness,” said coach Maree Bester.
Other results:
- Germiston Simmer Rugby Club’s second team lost its match 5-10. Simmer’s try was scored by Dirk Koegelenberg, who was also named man of the match.
- Germiston Simmer Rugby Club’s third team lost its match 29-40.
The team’s tries were scored by Meyer van Deventer, Bradley Odendaal, Brandon Pretorius and Given Banda.
Brandon Pretorius was named man of the match.
- Germiston Simmer Rugby Club’s u-20 team drew its match 32-32. Tries were scored by Aiden Ancill, Keagan Das Neves, Justin Liebenberg and Cobus Killian.
Man of the match was awarded to Justin Liebenberg.
Simmer will face the UJ Soweto Rugby Club in their next league match.
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