By CHESLEY DANIELS
Kowie United 1st XV convincingly defeated their arch-rivals in their Port Alfred Derby encounter by 32-7 at the Station Hill Sports Ground on Saturday.
As expected, the game was very physical and intense, with both sides out to prove a point to claim the bragging rights. The game was good from the outset, but discipline was lacking from both teams with a few off-the-ball incidents. Kowie completely dominated the first half and played more with their speedy backs, who crossed the scoring line on a few occasions. The scrums were even up front, and the Ndlambe forwards played a decent game with the ball in hand.
It was a better performance from the visiting Tigers as they played more with their forwards, who dominated in the second half. But it was a more hungry Kowie side who ran at every opportunity afforded to them. The hot weather conditions didn’t temper the home side’s approach to score tries, as they did by crossing the line four times. In the end, Kowie proved too strong for the Tigers and handed them a comfortable 32-7 win.
POINTS SCORERS:
Tries – Kowie
Duncan Van Rensburg (fullback, x2), Adrian Hilpert (flank), Luciano Nelson (centre)
Kowie United Head Coach Stuart Abrahams was pleased with his side’s first win of the season. “We played very well in our first game of the season in hot conditions. Ja, there will be a few hiccups as it is our first game. We completed the game very well in all aspects; the guys were hungry, which was the most important thing at the end of the day.
“I am happy with the guys’ performance where they were sticking to the basics and pulled it through at the end of the day. We need to improve more in our return fixture this coming weekend in Nemato.”
