Ish Dramat get stuck… in the mud.
Driving along the N1 to Durbanville on Wednesday, you could’ve been forgiven for feeling rather excited. The overhead conditions were perfect for running rugby: clear skies, warm and windless. And coming off the back of a big win against Maties would’ve only added to that excitement.
Much of that excitement would’ve been quickly laid to rest upon arrival at Durbell Rugby Club, as poor drainage after a few days of heavy rains saw the pitch looking more like Mordor. An opposition pack resembling the Ork Army was always going to make life even tougher in those muddy conditions.
The first half was a scrappy affair, through no fault of either team. Poor discipline from both sides, however, saw the whistle-happy ref brought into the game more than was desirable. Two penalty goals to Durbell, and one to UCT, were about all there was to get excited about in the first half. Tails were up at the break, though, and the belief that the much bigger, but far less mobile Durbell pack would tire shortly brought out renewed confidence.
Unfortunately in conditions such as these, it’s usually the team who uses them to their advantage the best who end up enjoying their beers the most at the end. And it was Durbell, through their big, rolling pack that managed to gain the ascendancy and the momentum. UCT bravely stuck to the formula that has taken the club to 2 Varsity Cup finals: running rugby, but it was never going to work out with a bar of soap for a ball and little to no grip underfoot.
Going into the final quarter it seems as if the floodgates had all but broken, but some truly gutsy defense managed to keep managed to keep the hosts from securing a vital bonus point try.
Durbell came out on top of this physical duel, 26-3. But there will be little time to mull over the defeat for UCT, as the next encounter against SK Walmers on Friday night will need all the attention.
Scorer(s): DJ Fourie – 1 Penalty
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