03-06-2025
Pearson snatch draw against Framesby
Pearson pulled off a thrilling draw against Framesby in the final minute when wing Siya Ncwadi sliced through the defence for an outstanding try next to the poles in their King Price Derby Series schools rugby clash at Framesby on Saturday.
Despite the relatively easy nature of the conversion, the pressure was on Pearson fullback Keano Beling with time running out, but he nailed the kick to draw the scores level at 19-19.
The drama, however, was not over because from the kickoff Framesby were awarded a penalty around the Pearson 10-metre line, five metres in from touch.
However, the kick to win the match failed to find its mark and the teams had to settle for a stalemate.
At Framesby, the home side were forced onto the defensive early on, conceding a scrum penalty in the second minute and allowing Pearson two shots at goal.
Both of those missed, however, and it was Framesby who struck first when a bad error in Pearson's in-goal area saw flank Ethan Terblanche pounce on a loose ball to dot down.
Jaiden Brewis added the conversion to make it 7-0.
But Pearson had come to play and they soon spelt out their intentions when a brilliant backline move saw centre Sibu Mkhontwana surge through a gap to put away the irrepressible Denilo Jordaan for their first try.
Soon after halftime, Framesby extended their lead when livewire wing Damian Witbooi darted past a couple of defenders to score next to the poles, with Brewis adding the conversion.
But it was a game where nobody could really take control and Pearson's ability on attack was again shown when Jordaan was put into space for his second try, making it 14-12.
Then came a crucial turnaround when, with the visitors pressing hard in the Framesby 22, the ball bobbled around from a pass, only to be collected by Witbooi, who showed extreme pace by running 80 metres for a try in the corner, chased all the way by Mkhontwana.
The conversion failed, but Framesby had a cushion, only to be crushed by another spectacular attack for Ncwadi to become the Pearson hero.
• In Makhanda, Graeme College seized the advantage after halftime when they crossed for three tries to transform their 22-21 halftime lead into a 43-42 victory.
Graeme College built up a critical cushion in their clash with Nico Malan after a tightly contested first half.
From a score of 22-21, the home team scored two tries to make it 36-21 and though Nico Malan hit back once, another try restored Graeme's 15-point advantage.
That ultimately helped them secure the win because Nico Malan were not done and crossed for two tries in the last 10 minutes to close the gap to one point.
Unfortunately for them, the referee blew for full time after their final try and there was no chance for them to try to snatch the win.
For Graeme, the standout players included Lucritia Magau, Erin Nelson, Luke Doyle and Ayola Mali, while Waldo Krige and Neil Lategan each crossed for a brace of tries for Nico Malan and Leighton Lawrence kicked six conversions from six attempts. — Additional reporting by
The Herald
