All hail the Kings

All hail the Kings

23 Feb 2013

The Kings scored an historic Super Rugby victory in their tournament debut in Port Elizabeth.

The Kings won 22-10 in front of a crowd exceeding 30 000 against Australia’s Western Force.

What a magnificent achievement. What a wonderful night for rugby in the Southern and Eastern Cape. What a night to remember.

South Africans be proud of a team that played for themselves, their region and their country.

Hopefully now the hatred with subside.

Luke Watson, a former Grey High captain, led out the Kings and proved inspirational in the opening 30 minutes before an accidental elbow to his larynx ended his evening. His replacement Jacques Englebrecht was as imposing as every Kings player stood tall in defence to turn a 10-5 deficit into a 11-10 lead and ultimately victory.

The Kings players with Super Rugby experience like hooker Bandise Maku, lock Steven Sykes and midfielders Andries Strauss and Ronnie Cooke were outstanding but it was a local teenager, winger Sergeal Petersen, who stole the hearts with a brace of tries to be named man of the match.

Petersen was in school at Grey High just three months ago and what made the night even more monumental was the first try should go to local lad from the region’s greatest rugby institution and that the player of the night should be a product of Grey High.

Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons deserves every accolade, as does coach Matt Sexton.

‘It was an incredible defensive effort,’ said Solomons. ‘We turned over a lot of ball and made a lot of mistakes but they will learn at this level. But their commitment can’t be faulted. It was a huge effort.’

Kings stand in captain Andries Strauss said the players were always confident they were good enough to win.

‘We will enjoy the night, but we are a grounded unit and we know it just gets tougher with each match.’

The Kings were given no price and no chance and done no favours.

The Kings lead the South African Conference after week one and that alone is a screen shot that makes this year among the most historic in South Africa’s Super Rugby history.

The Kings were everything but an embarrassment. They were an inspiration and they deserve every bit of applause for what was achieved in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night.

No new team in the competition has ever won in their first match. That bit of history belongs to the Kings.

By Mark Keohane


944 Comments

Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 19 » Show All

  • 51.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:19 pm

    when i see Twatson I want to puke

  • 52.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:19 pm

    I agree with the comments re the black strip…uninspiring,unoriginal,mundane.Replica jerseys will not sell well…Kings should have gone for red and white or something.

  • 53.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:19 pm

    listen to them booing!

  • 54.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:21 pm

    Who is the PE breker trying to look like Anton Bresler ?

  • 55.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:21 pm

    @Rage-52:
    Red and white will be too confusing during the annual relegation matches to be played between them and the Lions

  • 56.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:22 pm

    damn – the Western Force are kak. If the Kings dont win this game, they wont win any.

  • 57.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:23 pm

    @Rage-52: Agreed, I don’t know why they didn’t just go for the old EP colours, silly

  • 58.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:23 pm

    I would have gone for a red and yellow strip. no other team plays in those colours.

  • 59.i_love_u_bakkiesbotha: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:23 pm

    agreed the jerseys are so so unoriginal.
    they should have stuck to the jerseys the EP Kings/Mighty Elephants use.
    red, black and white?

  • 60.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:24 pm

    Eesh die Maku….he just wants to fight…..must be fired up. They must have shown him an apartheid video.

  • 61.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:24 pm

    Commentator: that’s a lovely little Sonny Bill from Luke Watson

    LOL

  • 62.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:24 pm

    LEKKER !

  • 63.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:25 pm

    their logo of the spears is set against red and yellow

  • 64.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:25 pm

    Nortier jys wee op jou stukke vanaand ne…hehe

  • 65.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:26 pm

    @Rage-61:

    Luke is having a great game so far.

  • 66.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:26 pm

    so the kings don’t have a sponsor on their jersey?

  • 67.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:26 pm

    @ShaunB-63: Is it red and yellow, or Lukes puke ?

  • 68.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:26 pm

    puke is looking pretty average

  • 69.Dusky: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:27 pm

    Lucky try. Force are mega kak though. Even kakker than usual.

  • 70.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:27 pm

    WOW….. now the bitterbekke will be quiet for a while at least, lol.

  • 71.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:27 pm

    Watson having a huge game so far.
    Well done Kings, 1st try

  • 72.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:27 pm

    Kings are in business,well done Sergeal!

  • 73.Guns: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:28 pm

    Ha HA Lekker stuff Kings!

  • 74.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:28 pm

    bit of a flukey try

  • 75.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:28 pm

    wow if they keep this up the kings have a chance of beating the stormers!

  • 76.cab: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:28 pm

    lol – I think solomons nearly crapped himself too – the kings outside backs look sharp – they going to be doing well to contain Cummings and co

  • 77.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:28 pm

    @Dusky-69:
    Force is poor, but Watson not doing bad at the moment.

  • 78.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:29 pm

    Kings score!!

  • 79.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:29 pm

    @ 65 robzim

    Yes he’s leading from the front…doing a great job so far.

  • 80.cab: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:29 pm

    This force left winger Mafie is a dirty bugger – going to be sent off.

  • 81.Dilligafrican: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:29 pm

    @ShaunB-66: they do – Black like me.

  • 82.ET.: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:31 pm

    Huge emotions flowing down in the Port of Eliz.

    How far can this carry this team? Passionate and motivated to the eyeballs are these players.

    Inspirational stuff from the Baainaars.

    But they do need to control the adrenalin flow and be disciplined.

  • 83.polaris: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:32 pm

    Wow. Good on them, maybe they’ll fare better than Lions.

    Other conferences may have a sniff of a hope that SA rivals won’t get additional 10 pointers on a plate.

  • 84.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:32 pm

    What a try by France

  • 85.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:33 pm

    Geez poor tackling from England

  • 86.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:33 pm

    cheating ref, that was a try. silly call by the ref

  • 87.Dilligafrican: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:33 pm

    What a kak call

  • 88.cab: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:33 pm

    ***** that’s some wierd *** **** from the ref

  • 89.Rage: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:33 pm

    And over at Twickenham Wesley Fofana just scored a fantastic try for France!

  • 90.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:34 pm

    @fantasticbarnsmell-85:
    Yep, but great speed by the centre.

  • 91.RL: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:35 pm

    Home town referee.

  • 92.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:35 pm

    sergeal…

  • 93.Jeraldjay: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:36 pm

    Come on Kings.

  • 94.Petri: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:36 pm

    Shocker by ref should have been force mall try

  • 95.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:37 pm

    @nortierd-90: Ya definitely, did great to get away like that

  • 96.Dilligafrican: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:37 pm

    That’s better Force

  • 97.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:38 pm

    this ref is kak. why did he need the tv ref there?

  • 98.nortierd: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:38 pm

    This ref doesn’t want to give the Force a try by himself.

  • 99.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:38 pm

    Dmitri look good in black

  • 100.ShaunB: Reply to this comment
    23 Feb 2013, 19:38 pm

    Jhb is celebrating that try.

Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 19 » Show All

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

Have your say

You must be logged in to post a comment.