Grey High captain Athenkosi Sipamla is proud of his team’s performance in overcoming a spirited Muir outfit to win the sides’ first derby clash in almost two decades at the Muir 200 Celebrations Rugby Festival at the weekend.
Sipamla’s team showed their grit and determination to overturn an eight-point halftime deficit to claim victory against one of their oldest rivals on Saturday.
As a curtain-raiser to to the main match, the Old Muirites lost 34-12 to an SA Rugby Legends side before Graeme College beat Queen's College 22-19 in a nail-biting encounter.
In the feature match Muir started well and put the Grey side under all sorts off pressure as they headed into the break with an eight-point lead (20-12).
They continued to apply pressure to stretch that lead by three more points but, in the end, the Gqeberha side were too strong for their Kariega opponents as they scored 17 second-half points to take the win.
Sipamla said they were surprised by how strongly Muir started the game and knew they would have to play well.
“They [Muir] came with a plan today. It was a really tough day at the office for us as we never expected them to play the way they did," Sipamla said. "But we knew that we had to rectify the little mistakes of that first half and do better as a team.
“It was an honour for us to be a part of this festival and what a milestone the school has achieved, and thank you for having us.”
Muir captain Sive Hina said that while the result was disappointing, he was happy with their performance.
“I am very proud of my boys," he said. "They really put in a lot of hard work today, never stopped running.
“I feel like if we had executed certain aspects of our play better, it would have been a much closer game than six points.
“I think I speak for my entire team when I say that we are immensely proud to be a part of this school’s history, this achievement of 200 years as an educational institution, and it is something that will live long in our memories.”
HeraldLIVE
An honour to be part of Muir festival, says Grey captain
Image: EUGENE COETZEE
Grey High captain Athenkosi Sipamla is proud of his team’s performance in overcoming a spirited Muir outfit to win the sides’ first derby clash in almost two decades at the Muir 200 Celebrations Rugby Festival at the weekend.
Sipamla’s team showed their grit and determination to overturn an eight-point halftime deficit to claim victory against one of their oldest rivals on Saturday.
As a curtain-raiser to to the main match, the Old Muirites lost 34-12 to an SA Rugby Legends side before Graeme College beat Queen's College 22-19 in a nail-biting encounter.
In the feature match Muir started well and put the Grey side under all sorts off pressure as they headed into the break with an eight-point lead (20-12).
They continued to apply pressure to stretch that lead by three more points but, in the end, the Gqeberha side were too strong for their Kariega opponents as they scored 17 second-half points to take the win.
Sipamla said they were surprised by how strongly Muir started the game and knew they would have to play well.
“They [Muir] came with a plan today. It was a really tough day at the office for us as we never expected them to play the way they did," Sipamla said. "But we knew that we had to rectify the little mistakes of that first half and do better as a team.
“It was an honour for us to be a part of this festival and what a milestone the school has achieved, and thank you for having us.”
Muir captain Sive Hina said that while the result was disappointing, he was happy with their performance.
“I am very proud of my boys," he said. "They really put in a lot of hard work today, never stopped running.
“I feel like if we had executed certain aspects of our play better, it would have been a much closer game than six points.
“I think I speak for my entire team when I say that we are immensely proud to be a part of this school’s history, this achievement of 200 years as an educational institution, and it is something that will live long in our memories.”
HeraldLIVE
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