Brakpan confident after festival friendlies
The CCC Brakpan Rugby Club finally had some much-needed game time after having so little over the past few weeks as they prepare for the season.
The CCC Brakpan Rugby Club finally had some much-needed game time after having so little over the past few weeks as they prepare for the season.
They played three matches against Wolverines, Grizzlies and Pretoria at the Bulls’ festival over the Easter weekend in Pretoria.
They started the weekend with a 38-18 loss to Wolverines.
Tries by Branden Smith and Frans Williams were not enough to help them win the game. Jayden Boshoff kicked over a conversion and two penalties in the match.
Brakpan then pulled off a stunning performance against Grizzlies, which had recently lost in a friendly. They won that match 24-23, thanks to tries by Daylan O’Neil, Marcon van Aswegen and Boshoff.
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Boshoff slotted over two conversions and a penalty, while Martin Steyn kicked a conversion over. The last match saw Brakpan take on Pretoria.
The team from Bosman Stadium took an early lead of 20-9. Unfortunately, the influential Boshoff was substituted because of injury. This saw Pretoria score two late tries to win the match 30-20.
Even though Brakpan would have been happier with more wins, they will gain confidence after their quality performances against quality teams.
“It was a much-improved performance from the previous year,” said the club’s chairperson Harry Nieuwenhuis.
“We started with eight players who played for the U21 side last season.”
Brakpan, however, did not have all their players available.
“Some players were away, while some had work commitments. The players who replaced them did very well. There is growth in the team, and I think the coaches are happy.”
Playing at the festival made Nieuwenhuis happy because pre-season friendlies have been hard to come by.
“We were struggling to get friendlies to play. Everyone wants to play them at their own clubs, so it’s been a bit of a slow start to the season,” he said.
“We needed this weekend. The guys needed this for the vibe in the team and the togetherness so they gel and understand each other better. It is 100% better, in my opinion. Everyone was lifted by this weekend.”
Brakpan will now focus on the Valke Peregrine League kick-off against East Rand United on April 22 at Bosman Stadium.
“I think we are going to do very well against East Rand United,” said Nieuwenhuis.
“Our priority is to get into the semi-final this year, and then we can take it from there. Hopefully, we can get to the final.
“For now, it’s Saturday to Saturday, meaning we are going to take it one week at a time. We will not focus on anything else except the next game.”
