Nathaniel Nyaluza got off to the best possible start on Friday night, leading 6-0 at half-time. The match was the final of the off-season high school league, which saw Nyaluza meet Mary Waters in the final.
Nathaniel Nyaluza got off to the best possible start on Friday night, leading 6-0 at half-time. The match was the final of the off-season high school league, which saw Nyaluza meet Mary Waters in the final.
Earlier in the day, an ill-disciplined under-13 team from St Mary's Primary beat Archie Mbolekwa Primary 12-10. The high and primary school leagues began in August, at the end of the school's rugby season, organised by the Department of Education and the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
In the high schools' final, Nyaluza kicked over two penalties to the one of Mary Waters, to give Nyaluza a 6-0 lead at the half-time break. However, a more determined Mary Waters side took to the field at the start of the second half.
They immediately went on the attack and dominated for the rest of the game. Mary Waters scored 23 unanswered points, including four tries, to win the final of the high schools league. Try-scorers for Mary Waters were prop Anathi Doda, lock Alwyn Rooi, fullback Devante Sias and lock Chris Botha. Sias was successful with a penalty kick and one conversion.
Zandile Njeza, sports co-ordinator at the department, said the league and the finals had been well supported by all the schools. Njeza said they hoped to hold the league early in the third term next year. It is also hoped that more schools will be involved in next year's league.
The aim is to have a Makana side taking part in the Cacadu champs and then a side from Cacadu to be represented at the provincial high schools' rugby tournament. Njeza said the league had started off as a high school league, before the primary schools leadership showed interest in getting their sides involved.
