A winter’s nail-biter

Earl Baillache

AFTER Empangeni’s third and fourth teams lost on Friday night, and Rhinos II lost 33-32 in the last minute of the curtain-raiser on Saturday afternoon, the handful of Mick Kelly Park faithful desperately needed a win in the main game to keep the winter chill at bay.
With the pitch in a sorry state, after taking strain from Thursday and Friday’s games, not conducive to good running rugby, the Rhinos felt superior to Old Boys, as the Durbanites’ strength lay in their backline running the ball.
The action was immediate with the visitors scoring in the second minute and converting (7-0).
Those hoping for a thrust and parring match, much like the curtain-raiser, were rewarded with a Rhinos’ comeback, courtesy of Kevin Smith.
Menzies obliged with the conversion and it was game on (7-7).
But the Rhinos didn’t give the visitors a chance to retaliate.
They attacked hard and, after a cowardly high tackle on Menzies Ngidi after he had kicked an up and over, Old Boys were a man down for 10 minutes.
The boys in blue made them pay for that sin, with Prince Mofokeng dotting down.
Ngidi got his own back with the conversion, warming the crowd’s vocal chords as they raced into the lead for the first time (14-7).
But could they stay ahead going into the break?
Then Lesley Dean Luiters, one of the U20s gaining promotion into the squad after a brilliant season, intercepted and, from the halfway line, brought the faithful to their feet with a heart-warming sprint to the try line.
Ngidi widened the gap with his conversion (21-7).
But on the brink of the half time whistle, the Durban boys stormed over the line and converted, to change sides with the score on 21-14 in favour of the Rhinos.
The shadows might have been lengthening and the chill seeping into the bones, but nobody was leaving as the last home match of the Moor Cup was poised on a knife’s edge.
The stands sighed as the Durbanites drew first blood in the second act with a converted try, narrowing the gap to 24-21.
Then a penalty drew them alongside the home team (24-24), and another soon after gave them the lead (27-24).
Would the Rhinos’ tired legs give out, or would they have it in them to fight back?
A break down the right side and a final pass to Ngidi to get over got the crowd on their feet once again and, although his conversion was wide, it gave the Rhinos back the lead.
Now with only one minute on the clock, could the boys hang onto their precarious two point lead?
But the Mick Kelly Faithful were robbed of the victory they craved by a forward pass, unseen by the referee, that gave Old Boys the try they desperately needed and the win (34-29).