Much like the previous week the Alberton Elande rugby third side went into Castle Lager PGC final as the underdogs.
Although they beat Pirates in the second round, the first-round score tipped the balance in favour of Pirates.
Fortunately, the Alberton Elande thirds don’t rely on historical stats to determine their destiny.
The game saw a try in the opening minutes for the Alberton Elande with Herman du Plessis, as in the semi-final, going over the whitewash.
Du Plessis was not the only player who added to the tally in both the semi-final and final, he was joined by Gerchwon Hykes with a try and Henry Payne with a conversion.
With the conditions not favouring the kicker, Paynes lonely conversion proved to be the deciding factor between the two sides.
The halftime score was 10-5 in favour of the Alberton Elande and at no point did they trail in the game
The second half presented much of the same physicality. Pirates mustered up all they could to challenge the point difference in the second half to no avail.
Armand Jansen van Vuuren also scored for the Alberton side which was then converted by Payne, as it was at that stage 17-5.
A fightback from the Rats elevated the stress levels of both teams and they scored in the final seconds of the game to bring their tally to 15. The kick to draw the fixture and the cup was to follow. The conversion was unsuccessful and so Elande thirds won 17-15.
This, as in the semi-final, was a historic victory for the Alberton Elande thirds. In the 2022 season, the Elande thirds lost to the NWU students in the final of the Memorial Cup.
Rory Lategan from Alberton Rugby Club said: “From the entire Alberton Eland family we would like to extend our gratitude to our community for supporting our local heroes. The 2024 season awaits and already plenty of preparation has gone into it, with the vision of improving and making an impact in the PGC.”
