THE 2016 rugby season started with excitement and promise of a successful year for the Pinetown Raiders.
With the warm up matches against Harlequins, Hillcrest and Westville it was a slow and steady uphill with the sights of great games ahead. The first game of the season was a good win against Kwantu and the club was on a high. But all roller coasters have that first downhill slide and the team suffered three losses in a row against Crusaders, Collegians and Queensburgh respectively.
The Raiders then levelled out with a draw of 28-28 against Kwantu. but this did not last long as the next game was a stomach turning 55-3 loss against the Crusaders. Now half way through the season and many players down due to injuries, the Raiders took on Amabhubesi with a must-win attitude. Things started looking up for the local team after they thrashed Amabhubesi 50-0.
They approached the next game against Collegains with caution and showed promise up to half time where they led 13-8. The second half was a different story and the end score was yet another loss for the Raiders team. Despite the loss the players were not deterred.
Rovers was next on the game roster and the excitement grew in the Raiders side as a hard fought win saw the players crawl off with a 15-8 win against the top Durban club. Amabhubesi fuelled the last few meters on the uphill ride with a 53-17 win for the Raiders team. A two week break in the season offered a brief respite for injured players. The team suffered another downhill during its roller coaster of a season with a a hard loss of 60-3 against Queenburgh. The last game of the season saw the Raiders team go up against Rovers and while the Pinetown side did not back down, the Rovers snuck past with a 22-12 win.
The Club’s year-end function will be on Saturday, 10 September, and will be in honour of its new members to the club.
The Pinetown Raiders thanked Matthew Richardson from the VEMA team for his assistance at its home games, and the Steyn family for their generous sponsorship this year. The Raiders Club is currently looking for sponsors for the 2017 season as the club is hoping to restart the juniors and colts next year.
The Pinetown Raiders team are in need of new committee members for the 2017 season. If you are interested in coaching and managing next year send and email to pinetown.rugby.club@gmail.com.
