LOCAL Rugga

Heartbreak as WSU claim hard-fought victory against Harlequins

By YONELA MOFU

WALTER Sisulu University (WSU) broke the hearts of Port Elizabeth Harlequins when they won their Eastern Cape Super 12 club rugby fixture 14-12 at the Adcock Stadium on Saturday.

The “All Blacks” snatched the spoils in what proved to be a nail-biting clash. Both teams displayed an eagerness to win in their first match of the tournament but in the end it was WSU who came out on top.

The first 10 minutes between the sides proved to be equally contested as both teams made good use of their chances in the rucks.

The home side showed brilliance with the ball in hand attacking whenever they could and also using the wind to their advantage.

Harlequins got the upper hand in the 20th minute when WSU lock Bongile Ntoko was yellow carded for a high tackle.

The home side sneaked in two back-to-back tries through speedy left wing Irvin Kapara and right wing Chessy Lewack.

The home side were denied their third try when flank Ricky Williams knocked on the ball five metres from the tryline.

WSU got off to a good start in the second half when skipper and lock Lelo Gamashe scored their first try from a well executed set piece by the forwards. Bongani Zwane kicked the conversion.

Frustration got the better of Harlequins when they started deviating from the form they had shown in the first half.

They were seen defending deep into their territory with their forwards working overtime.

WSU capitalised on the infringements made by the home side and Gamashe got in for his second try in the dying minutes.

A cool-headed Zwane then broke the hearts of the home side when he converted the try with just three minutes on the clock to close out the victory.

Harlequins assistant coach Sebastian Hilpert said: “It was a tight game and the opposition used the wind to their advantage. Going into the next game we will stick to our game plan and obviously adjust a few things.”

WSU head coach Andile Ndondose said: “We definitely need to go back to the drawing and fix all the problems we had in the first half. Our players just need to build on their chemistry so that everything gels on the field.”