By Chesley Daniels
In a thrilling upset, the Grahamstown Brumbies 1st XV defeated reigning Epru Grand Challenge champions Gardens 20-17 in their top 12 fixture at Albany Sports Club on Saturday. Despite being underdogs, the Brumbies showcased their strength at home, leveraging a monumental scrum dominance to secure a hard-fought victory.
The visitors led 14-8 at halftime, but the Brumbies’ forwards pack, in “beast mode”, showed no mercy to the Gardens team, which boasted EP provincial front-row players. The home side’s impressive performance not only earned them a crucial win, but also snapped Gardens’ unbeaten streak in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.
This victory marks a significant turnaround for the Brumbies, who had suffered three consecutive losses in the competition prior to this fixture. Their reputation as a formidable force at home remains intact, and this win will undoubtedly boost their confidence in the league.
Brumbies missed out on 19 potential points due to inaccurate kicking.
However, they were the first to put points on the board in the 10th minute of the first half via a bulldozing try by the hardworking and evergreen prop Diego Isaacs in the right hand corner. The physical battle saw both teams coming hard at each other, as scoring became very difficult due to solid defensive patterns by both sides. Gardens’ backline looked very dangerous with ball in hand and put the home side under pressure on attack. The reigning champs showed their class as they scored two converted tries while Declan Muller slotted a late first half 38th minute penalty to take Gardens to the break leading 14-8.
Brumbies made a few tactical changes and brought on their bomb squad which made a significant difference in their quest to upset the highly rated Kariega side. Veteran fly half Vincent Mains scored the first points in the 22nd minute of the second half for Brumbies, and converted to hand Brumbies a 15-14 lead, for the first time in the match.
Gardens’ inside centre was sent off leaving for a bad kick. The tug of war continued with the Brumbies’ scrum dominance seeing them gain possession and territorial advantage. Gardens’ line outs became sloppy whilst the home side gained momentum and confidence.
Gardens slotted a 29th minute penalty to reclaim the lead 17-15 with about 10 minutes to go in the second half. Both teams made silly unforced errors during the closing stages of the second half. Brumbies missed two vital penalty shots at goal in the 31st and 35th minute that would have seen them taking the lead.
It was an intense last five minutes of the game as Gardens led 17-15 with both teams’ supporters singing and cheering their players on. Brumbies felt the pressure as they had to win at all costs, or face another defeat to add to their previous three in a row.
After numerous phases and waves of attack launched by Brumbies, they scored in the 37th minute through young Lenona Xhaso who beat three defenders to score in the left hand corner. The conversion was missed.
For the remainder of the second half, both teams were fighting for possession whilst Gardens needed a penalty to draw or a try to seal the match. Brumbies lost possession with time almost up on the clock and Gardens happily retained possession so they could get close to the Brumbies’ try line to score the winner. For almost three minutes in injury time and with Gardens in possession, Brumbies defended for their lives to prevent Gardens scoring the winner. Gardens then lost the ball and it was kicked to touch, handing Brumbies a hard fought and narrow 20-17 upset win over the champs of Kariega.
Brumbies’ front rankers were voted the Grocott’s Mail/Daniels MEDIA men of the match. The hardworking front row monsters are regarded as the best front row in the Epru Grand Challenge and have shown their dominance against all the top opposition for a number of seasons now. They were aggressive, physical both on attack and with ball in hand and scrum like monsters as they demolished the struggling Gardens front row. The dominant front row consists of: Diego Isaacs, captain Tevin Pillay, Garin Strydom and AK Jefta.
Brumbies will travel to Gqeberha to take on NMU Madibaz on Saturday.
Latest Epru Grand Challenge Top 12 Log:
1. KRUISFONTEIN – 24 (5)
2. PROGRESS – 20 (5)
3. GARDENS – 19 (5)
4. PE HARLEQUINS – 13 (5)
5. TRYING STARS – 12 (4)
6. GRAHAMSTOWN BRUMBIES – 11 (5)
7. PARK – 10 (5)
8. NMU MADIBAZ – 9 (4)
9. HANKEY VILLAGERS – 7 (5)
10. CENTRAL – 7 (5)
11. DESPATCH OOSTELIKES – 6 (4)
12. JOUBERTINA – 5 (4)
