14a match report against Paarl Gim

On Saturday the U14A team delivered an excellent come-from-behind victory against Paarl Gim. While the boys showed great character and huge courage in defeating their opponents just prior to the final whistle, the truth of the matter is that they probably should never have been in that position to begin with.

SACS started very well and our controlled forward play, and dominance, resulted in a period of concerted pressure on the Paarl Gim line. Ultimately they were not rewarded with a try, but took a 3 – 0 lead after 10 minutes. Paarl Gim were determined to play in our half and much of their initial forays involved using their talented fullback to kick in behind and then hope to pick up the pieces thereafter with a good secure chase line.

Our game management was good during this period and we were able to exit from dangerous positions for much of the half. Jason Weber, who is enjoying a superb purple patch of form, then scored a try out of nothing, wriggling free down the left flank before leaving opposite number for dead. The conversion was missed and we lead 8 – 0. With half time nearing a momentary defensive lapse in concentration in midfield resulted in a try for the opponents. The score at halftime was 8- 5.

Paarl Gim started the second half very well and scored almost immediately from the kick off. A poor exit and tackling down the touch line was exploited and Paarl Gim took a 10 – 8 lead. We fought back bravely and continued to dominate up front which resulted in another 3 points. The see-saw battle continued and we led 11 -10. From the resulting kick off all our hard work was undone through poor field management and a rushed exit which was charged down and pounced on by our opponents. We were down 11 -17 with not much time left. The fighting spirit we showed here as well as the determined Paarl Gim defence was exceptional. Ultimately we were able to score a well worked converted try to win the game and both sides were left exhausted after a hugely competitive match in which sadly one team had to lose.

The boys worked extremely hard for their win and deserve credit for their come-back, but lots of work lies ahead and it was far from the complete performance we are always looking for when we play.