Monnas win ‘Wit Bulle’ battle
23 May 2010
Monument beat Affies 42-38 on Saturday to claim the bragging rights as the top side in Gauteng this year.
The Krugersdorp school have now won this fixture twice in a row and have not lost to Affies since 2003 (the sides drew in 2008). The results silence criticism that Monument’s Beeld Trophy and NuPower Tuks titles are worthless in the absence of Affies’ participation in those competitions.
The foundation for Saturday’s victory was laid in the forwards where the Monnas pack stood its ground, particularly in the lineouts where locks Paul Willemse and Ruan Venter did well to disrupt the much-vaunted Affies unit.
Both sides played their characteristic open running rugby, which made for an attractive game with nine tries in all.
Monnas scored through right wing Deon Fitchett, lock Paul Willemse, fullback Shaun Conradie, centre Jaco Viljoen and hooker Rikus van Niekerk. Captain and flyhalf Marais Schmidt had a great day with the boot, kicking three penalties and four conversions.
His Affies counterpart, Warren Gilbert, was as effective. He slotted four penalties and three conversions. The Affies tries were scored by fullback Tiaan Putter (two), wing WJ Strydom and hooker Pepler Stander.
Eyebrows were raised last week at the inclusion of 10 Monument players in the Golden Lions preliminary Craven Week squad, including six in the forwards. Saturday’s performance against a side that will make up most of the Blue Bulls team showed why this is the case.
Monument coach Wynand Moolman told keo.co.za that while their forwards more than matched Affies up front, he was pleased with the performance of their backs.
‘Our backline really clicked for the first time this year and we moved the ball well, keeping the big Affies pack on the move, that’s what did it for us in the end,’ he said.
4 Comments
23 May 2010, 17:15 pm
what a scoreline….ust have been a seriously exciting game
23 May 2010, 22:15 pm
What other seriously good Afrikaaans schools are there in Jhb? Ones that feed teh Lions franchise?
Why are the Lions so desperately short of talent?
24 May 2010, 01:53 am
Not sure what the language of the school matters, as there are plenty great feeding teams in the district.
I think you are asking the wrong questions. Lions are far from being short on talent. Look at the players in the past couple of years that passed through there:
Wikus van Heerden
Ernst Joubert
Bryan Habana
Jacques Fourie
and some great players still today when they’re on form in
Heinke
Doppies
Franco
etc.
No, the question is not why they’re short of talent, but how are they so completetly rubbish on the admin and coaching side that players play elsewhere?
A coach and team that loses 100% of all games in the season!? And maybe it’s ot hey’re fault, but who then is the poison in that club?
24 May 2010, 12:03 pm
@SjamBok(SjamBok)-2: The bulk of the Craven week side normally comes from Monnas and Florida. Then normally a few okes from St. Johns, St. Stithians, Jeppe etc. Some good rugby schools on the east rand and Vaal Driehoek as well. EG Jansen,HTS Vereeniging comes to mind.
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