Nathaniel Nyaluza’s brilliant rugby season is coming to an end with the school’s First XV rugby side earning seven wins out of eight games so far.
Nathaniel Nyaluza’s brilliant rugby season is coming to an end with the school’s First XV rugby side earning seven wins out of eight games so far.
The Nyaluza Firsts have obtained a positive points difference by conceding only 57 points and scoring 206. Head coach George Lamani, together with fellow coach and rugby fanatic Unathi Kongwana, could not be prouder.
The Township Schools Rugby League, which started last week, signifies the end of their formal rugby season, with five fixtures still to play. The league’s purpose is to promote continued enthusiasm for rugby at high schools around the Eastern Cape.
The team is travelling to East London today to play in their next fixture against Zweliyandila High School as part of a mini-tour of schools near Grahamstown. The ‘Nyasas’, as Kongwana refers to the Nathaniel Nyaluza First XV, started their season with a 14-5 win against Lukhanyo.
Their confidence did not carry into their 27-5 loss against Graeme, although the Nyasas took advantage of the chance to test their mettle against a strong outfit so early in the season.
“Our efforts against Graeme College may have ended in a loss,” said Kongwana.
"But we learned a lot from a game that showed us we still had a lot of work to do.”
The Nyasas beat PJ Olivier 24-3 in a fast-paced encounter. In a mid-season clash against Mary Waters, which saw frustrated coaches and flaring tempers, the Nyasas’ hard work paid off in a 24-19 win. Lamani's and Kongwana’s knowledge of rugby has greatly benefited the side’s performance.
“Our main aim was to be inspirational to the guys; the players put in 100% even when the chips were down,” Kongwana said. Nyasas’ two matches against Kutliso were both one-sided affairs. The first saw them win 35-5, and the second ended at 75-5.
Their second encounter against Mary Waters was much closer, though, and featured tight defence from both teams in a try-less match. Nyasas edged ahead with a penalty to win 3-0.
Their latest match-up, against Nombulelo, was victorious with a score of 16-3.
