St Andrew’s College First XV opened their 2018 season over the weekend, with an away trip to Höerskool Framesby in Port Elizabeth. The away fixture was always going to be a challenge for the new look SAC side.
The nerves showed from both sides early on and the game was riddled with basic early season errors. An infringement by SAC allowed Framesby to convert a penalty to take a 3-0 lead. After quick hands by the visitors’ backs, Ryan Ford broke through in the midfield, finishing off to score under the poles on debut. The try was converted by Murray Wilson and SAC held a 3-7 lead. A disciplinary infringement by Framesby, resulting in their second yellow card of the match, allowed SAC to convert the resulting penalty and take a 3-10 lead into half time.
Immediately after the break, St Andrew’s lost out on a number of opportunities for points, and subsequently spent the rest of the half defending their tryline. With six minutes to go, Framesby broke out and scored in the right hand corner after good work by their openside flanker. The try was not converted and SAC managed to hold out for a 8-10 victory.
From a result perspective, this is a good win for the young side, as it opens their season with a positive result, however much work lies ahead to eliminate basic errors and poor decision making. SAC look forward to a better performance against Hudson Park this weekend at the Graeme College Rugby Day.
