Madibaz keep Central at bay
NMMU came out on top in a physical Grand Challenge rugby encounter against Central as the students handed their visitors a 36-12 lecture at NMMU’s south campus B Field at the weekend.
The men from Uitenhage got close to putting points on the board, but flyhalf Benjamin Koeberg’s penalty went wide in the second minute.
NMMU seemed to be under pressure as Central were rewarded in the fifth minute with a try and conversion from Koeberg to put the visitors 7-0 up.
The next 10 minutes were spent in the NMMU half as Central added pressure from all angles, suffocating the students at the breakdowns, with NMMU making it easy for them with their handling errors.
However, the Madibaz absorbed the pressure to counterattack in the 19th minute off a quick lineout as fullback Fabio Mapaling crossed the line.
Flyhalf Helin Petersen added the two points from the tee as NMMU drew level.
The game then became equal and physical as each side visited the other’s 22m line eight times. However, the half ended in a 7-7 deadlock going into the break.
The second half resumed with NMMU making three changes: props Matthew Nelson and Lutho Ferreira were replaced by Elandre van der Merwe and Max Baphiwe, and fullback Mapaling by Kaya Molotana.
Molotana’s fresh legs saw him counter from his own 22m to cross the line in the 46th minute with Petersen failing to convert, leaving the score at 12-7.
Central hit back with a try of their own from scrumhalf Quinlee Julies to put the score at 12-12 as Koeberg missed the conversion.
However, that was the beginning of NMMU’s dominance as Molotana would again cross the line again off a Van der Merwe grubber kick, and a backline ball bringing up his hat-trick in the 65th minute to put the score at 24-12 as Petersen converted only one of the two tries.
NMMU would score again as substitute Thembihle Yasa picked up from the back of a ruck to dart for his 15m try in the 70th minute. Petersen converted.
In the 75th minute, NMMU’s eighthman Lona Ntsila burst from his own 22m to score the last try of the game.
In other matches played on Saturday, Despatch overpowered Suburban 57-5 and Harlequins edged Spring Rose 32-28.
