By Chesley Daniels
It took Swallows 13 straight wins to taste their first defeat in the hands of Karoo Springbokke in their 13-25 EPRU Inter Sub Union Semi-Final encounter played at the Albany Sports Club on Saturday afternoon, 14 October 2023. The SEDRU Champs were trailing 3-11 at halftime as visitors Karoo Bokke took a decent lead at the change-over.
Swallows as SEDRU Champs had a magnificent season leading up to the semi-final with an unbeaten run of 13 straight wins. They were crowned undisputed SEDRU Champs with an unbeaten record of 12 wins at the conclusion of the EPRU SEDRU Regional League. They then represented SEDRU in the Quarter Final against Sunday River Valley Champs Enon. They clinched their 13th win to set up a semi-final clash against the highly rated Karoo Springbokke.
This was by far the best season for Swallows since 2000, and the Club should be proud of their monumental achievement in 2023. They have beaten all the Clubs twice in the SEDRU Regional League and were dominant throughout.
The semi-final on Saturday was well attended, with a packed crowd at Albany Ground who witnessed the much-anticipated semi-finals. It was the battle of the two Sub Unions, as both deserved to be Champions and in playoffs.
The Bokke started like a house on fire, putting the ‘Birds’ under severe pressure at the kickoff. Swallows had a somewhat nervous and shaky start, with numerous unforced errors creeping in during the first half that saw Karoo Springbokke take full advantage whilst putting points on the board when it mattered the most. There were a few scoring opportunities for Swallows during the first half, but the visitors’ solid defence prevented them from scoring.
Swallows should reprimand themselves for not scoring a few tries on offer, as the sloppy defence resulted in Karoo scoring a fine try in the first half. Two more penalties by Karoo and one by Swallows saw the visitors hopping confidently with a decent 11-3 halftime lead.
Swallows rang the changes and brought their experienced campaigners on to the park, and the difference was immediately evident. The visitors once again took the game to Swallows and came hard, especially their collective defensive efforts. Swallows made exciting runs downfield with their powerful and elusive forward but again lost the ball in crucial moments close to the opposition’s try line.
With little time left on the clock, Swallows gained momentum playing with their forwards, and their trademark line-out drive resulted in a converted try. There was a glimmer of hope for the Birds as they started to play more confidently. Yet again, luck seemed to not be on their side as they lost the ball and possession every time they were on attack and close to the Karoo try line. Nothing seemed to go well for the SEDRU Champs, and their facial expressions and body language showed frustration, especially when decisions didn’t go their way during the later stages of the second half.
Ultimately, Karoo Springbokke showed tremendous guts in their defence, forcing Swallows to make mistakes on attack. It was game on as Swallows edged closer in striking distance with the score 13-18. Bokke extended their lead with what was most probably the turning point in the game and the try of the day with a superb 80m try by their big and pacey winger to extend the lead 25-13.
Karoo kept the ball in Swallows’ half, which made it very difficult for the Birds to score long-distance tries with the back against the walls, trailing but 12 points and needed to score twice with the game running into extra time. The visitors kept their composure and held on to a well-deserved 23-13 win to upset Swallows in front of their support at home. It was definitely different from the Swallows team, who have a record 13 straight wins. Nonetheless, it was a brilliant semi-final contest from both sides.
Karoo Springbokke will face Evergreens from Kariega in the finals at the Adcock on Saturday, 21 October, after Evergreens defeated Louterwater in the other semi-final in Kariega.
Swallows now awaits the decision of EPRU for the competition formats 2024 and whether they will proceed to the Adams Cup as SEDRU Champs with the other Sub Union winners.
