Easterns rugby club firsts beat arch rivals Winter Rose in the return of a special Heritage competition on Saturday 21 September.
Easterns rugby club firsts beat arch rivals Winter Rose in the return of a special Heritage competition on Saturday 21 September.
Winter Rose were the first to score with Simamkele Nxawe crossing the try line. Easterns replied minutes later with a try of their own through Siya Gebuza.
The teams went into the break 5-5. The second half saw Easterns score two further tries through Nito Doda and Lubabalo Masiki. To this Winter Rose added only a penalty kick through Simamkele Ngqoyiya.
The final whistle blew with Easterns winning the match 15-8.
The true winner at the Oval sports grounds however was an old rugby tradition that had been neglected for some time. Phumzile Adam, organiser of the event, said the Heritage match used to be contested around September but had bowed out of the local rugby calendar for the last few years.
In fact, the two clubs have a long history together. Easterns formed in 1905 when the Winter Rose numbers swelled and the surplus players decided to form a new team. Adam said last weekend's “highly competitive” match was played in good spirits and of course Easterns were happy to win the bragging rights for another year.
The two clubs now plan to host the event annually on or around Heritage Day. While there is no trophy up for grabs yet, Adam said there are plans to have a Heritage trophy made in time for next year's event.
In the first reserves' match Easterns beat Winter Rose 17-13. This weekend Easterns will end their season in Adelaide while taking part in a Heritage tournament organised by the Red Lions rugby club. A total of 12 teams will play matches Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September.
