In an exciting, high quality contest at Brookside on Saturday, hosts Villager FC exited the arena victors in their Super League A (SLA) match against Mototvaps False Bay. The score was 31-26 after Villager led 17-16 at the break.
Villager had not beaten the Bay in at least 15 years. In the build-up programme, False Bay were victorious in all of the matches.
The management of proceedings by referee Jaco Smith added to the quality of the contest, neither side having reason to complain.
The hosts shocked the travelling support when outside centre Andries Viljoen ghosted through the defence and fed fullback Richie Bryant for an easy score but Bryant was heroically held up and the try denied.
Villager broke the duck on the scoreboard minutes later when centre Grant Hermanus converted the first of his four penalties. The ease of the disallowed try as well as the avoidable penalty which led to the conversion did nothing to ease the nerves of the False Bay faithful spread around the grounds, part of a sizeable crowd lapping up the contest.
Stunned and determined to respond, the Constantialites immediately found themselves on attack deep into the Villager quarter and from the ensuing ruck, flyhalf Ewan Adams lofted a beautifully-weighted cross-kick for wing Muji van der Oven to gather, scarcely a defender nearby. Adams converted to make it a goal and then added a penalty to the tally, Bay enjoying a seven point lead. Hermanus later levelled the scores with his try and conversion. Adams struck back for the Bay to put his team into a three-point lead.
False Bay contrived to hand the hosts scoring opportunities through inaccurate line out injections, turning over hard-earned possession. The Villager second try, by bustling hooker Jacques Goosen was painful to watch if your club colours were green, as the powerfully built number two needed none of his power to cross the line unchallenged after receiving an inside pass. Hermanus gave his team a four points with his conversion, which Adams reduced to one with another Bay penalty conversion.
It was a one-point half time score difference. Play restarted and barely a few minutes into the second half, was interrupted for a protracted period as flank Imraan Andrews received treatment for an head injury. He was stretchered off after a quarter of an hour.
With the match back on track and the hosts enjoying a four-point lead, the Bay continued to place their opponents under pressure, only to have them fight their way back into Bay territory.
Possibly the tackle of the day belonged to False Bay flanker, Lukhanyo Nomzanga on former teammate, Villager eighthman Dian Koen. The hit embodied the contest and reverberated around the grounds in a collective groan from the crowd.
The slender Villager lead suddenly ballooned to 12 points when centre Andries Viljoen scythed through a gap to score. Hermanus converting to make the gap a two-score difference.
Busanda Mabena, one of the Bay’s players to stand out on the day, crossed for a try which brought his team to within distance of a dramatic snatch-from-the-jaws-of-death victory.
With the Bay on attack and benefactors of goalable penalties, they opted for line-kicks, a ploy which in hindsight possibly cost them victory. Inaccurate lineout work rendered their attacks impotent and it was a late Adams penalty goal which gave False Bay one league point for a loss within seven points.
False Bay travel to face northern suburbs’ rivals Durbell in Durbanville on Saturday. The club announced the signing of Springbok number eight, Duane Vermeulen, who launches his bid for a spot in the World Cup squad to compete in France in September.
- Jon Harris is a member of False Bay RFC
