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Rugby
2009
We
can be very proud of our achievements
thus far. As a small independent school
there is no doubt that we play a significant
role on the sports front of Mpumalanga.
The
1st Rugby team of Uplands College qualified
to play in the Mpumalanga Rugby Semi-finals
for Medium Schools in Volksrust. Uplands
played in the ¼ finals of the
Beeld Trophy in 2005 and 2006 and we
continued our proud tradition, finishing
first in the league after beating Hoërskool
Bergvlam 19-0 in our final league match.
It
has been a year filled with many highlights.
We lost our first main encounter 10-17
against Penryn College in a very tightly
contested match. Two of our key players
sustained injuries during this match
which had a major impact on the final
result. Captain Jason Wright missed
the long awaited tour to South America
due to the injury he incurred in the
Penryn match.
The tour to Argentina and Uruguay was
an experience the players will treasure
for the rest of their lives. We arrived
in Buenos Aires on the 25th of March
and you could sense the excitement among
the boys. After exploring the Tigre
Delta, the touring party returned to
the hotel to pick up our kit for the
trip to Cardinal Newman School. Our
tour guide, German, took us to the school
in one of the more affluent suburbs.
Started by Irish Priests, this school
boasts immaculate sporting facilities
and fields. Our boys warmed up in anticipation
of their first game, then the unthinkable
happened. A team of 30 nineteen year
olds lined up to take on the Uplands
challenge. Our boys tried valiantly
to stem the tide, but a combination
of too much Under 19 Argentinean beef
and jet lag, resulted in a heavy 56-10
loss. The heavy defeat on day two of
our tour required some re-organisation.
Our tour guide approached a ‘scrum
doctor’ to address a few minor
issues up front. A chap of formidable
size, by the name of Raul, joined us
and made a huge impression. Raul has
played rugby for many years and looks
like a cross between Guthro Steenkamp
and the Beast. Our second game was against
Lanus Rugby Club. We were greeted heartily
by the locals and shown into a modest,
wooden club house boasting many years
of photos and framed jerseys. Uplands
were 5-0 down within the first two minutes,
but then the Uplands fire kicked in
and the boys climbed in lock, stock
and barrel. Everyone played their part,
with our midfield particularly strong
on defence. Neil Brokensha put in a
Man of The Match performance and Uplands
won 26-5. The Grade Tens all got a run
and were now part of the Team. A great
start in the blue Tour Jersey.
We
departed the next morning for Uruguay
crossing the river mouth (154 km wide)
and it took us almost 3 hours. After
going through Customs we met a representative
from the Christian Old Boys Club in
Montevideo. This was the home of the
Uruguayan players that were killed in
the Andes Plane Crash. The survivors
had to eat the flesh of their fellow
players who had died, to survive. The
impressive club house oozes tradition
and history and we were very privileged
to play there. The sizes of the opposition
were, as predicted, larger and meaner
than in both previous games. At half
time we were down by more than 20 points.
The coaches requested an all out effort
from the team during the break. Then
something happened which epitomizes
Uplands Fire. The boys turned on the
magic and out-scored the much larger
opposition, to win the game by 31- 28.
Dylan Park came of age as a fullback
and Keith made sure that the Uruguayans
remember the words, “made in Zambia”
and scored four scintillating tries.
The Uplands boys, the coaches, Ralf
Kalwa and Charl Pienaar Snr. celebrated
as never before. Our hosts were gracious
in defeat and we were entertained in
full Uruguayan hospitality. A very tired
team left the club house to be hosted
for a second night.
It
was back to Argentina again and we traveled
past the flat, pampas countryside on
our way to the second largest city in
Argentina, Rosario. After a day of leisure,
the team had some time to relax and
motivate themselves for a final onslaught
under floodlights at the Gymnasia Y
Esgrima Club (GER for short). The GER
is found some distance out of town amongst
plots and small-holdings. The club surrounds
a lifestyle estate and boasts many rugby,
tennis and hockey fields. The boys faced
the customary set of 30 nineteen year
olds. Uplands played out of their socks
with some ferocious tackling and held
the Argentineans to a half time score
of 12 all. This infuriated their management
team and a new set of forwards (the
new eighth man looked like Ryan Kankowski)
were sent on to re-inforce their team.
This proved to be one hurdle too many
for our valiant boys and we lost the
game 24-12, with a try being scored
in the dying moments of the game.
Just
down the road from our hotel, a pedestrian
mall/walkway stretched down to the waterfront
for some eight or more blocks. This
provided a safe haven for the boys to
spend their Pesos. Many boys bought
rugby and soccer shirts. Leather goods
are also common, but all were in agreement
that prices were not cheap and, in most
cases, items were more expensive than
in South Africa. Our flight back to
South Africa and the good old Lowveld
went without a hitch. The entire team
and touring party were grateful to be
home, following a very successful and
memorable trip. This tour would not
have been possible without the generosity
of our parents and some of their acquaintances
in high places. We thank the following
sponsors: Mark Ball, Ralf Kalwa, Charl
Pienaar Snr, Johan Horn, Jeff Wright,
Jenny Dalais, Gerrie du Plessis, Gert
van Rensburg, Kerneels Kruger, Ian Veldsman,
Victor Picoto, Michael Raper and Danie
Malan Pharmacy.
The
beginning of the second term meant the
start of the local league. Our first
league game against Hoërskool Barberton
ended 10 all. It was a very disappointing
result considering that we started like
a house on fire and were soon 10-0 up.
There was a much spirited and improved
performance against Lowveld High and
we scored five tries in our 32-13 victory.
Our next game was against Cornwall Hill
from Pretoria. Cornwall hosted their
annual Winter Sport Festival. It was
a tough and bruising encounter, but
we managed to beat our much bigger opponents
12-0. The taste of victory against Hoërskool
Lydenburg in Lydenburg was very sweet.
It was an extremely physical match,
however, it was encouraging to see that
our boys moved from absorbing pressure
to applying pressure. The final result
was 6-5 in favour of Uplands. The final
10 minutes added a few more grey hairs
to the coaches. Sybrand van Niekerk
(Sabie) was our next stop. It was a
mid-week fixture and the Uplands boys
were slow getting out of the blocks,
but managed to secure a well-deserved
victory 36-3. We scored 6 tries in the
process and the bonus point was crucial
for our league campaign. Our annual
derby against St. Peter’s College
was next on the cards. Dieter Kalwa
came off the bench to score two tries
in the second half. This injection was
much needed and it was a comfortable
victory 20-8. We played Penryn for the
second time at our Founders Weekend.
The final rugby match between the 1st
teams of the two schools concluded the
celebration. It was an exciting encounter
with both teams prepared to play expansive
rugby. The Uplands boys played with
an imbedded determination. The scorers
were locked at 3-3 at half-time. Penryn
applied more and more pressure and scored
minutes before the end of the game to
secure victory 10-3. It was a titanic
battle, but Penryn kept their composure
and the score line was a fair reflection
of the match. The final league match
was against Hoërskool Bergvlam.
Uplands overpowered a team who, up to
that point, was still undefeated this
season. The victory against Bergvlam
enabled us to finish 1st in our league.
In fact, both our 1st and 2nd XV qualified
for the Mpumalanga ½ finals.
The matches were played at Volksrust.
The 1st team match against Piet Retief
was a bridge too far. The 2nd team squandered
a golden opportunity against Hoërskool
Volksrust’s 2nd XV. The Uplands
team were leading 13-3 with 10 minutes
to go only to lose the match 16-13 in
the dying seconds. However, their performance
throughout the season bodes well for
next year.
The
2nd team performed solidly this year.
They won all their league games and
drew 3-3 against Hoërskool Bergvlam.
Their record includes victories over
St. Peter’s College (12-7) and
Cornwall Hill (23-10). The U15A XV participated
in the annual Independent Schools Rugby
Festival hosted by Woodridge College
outside Port Elizabeth during the April
holiday. After a very exhausting bus
trip to PE, the boys played their first
match against the host school, Woodridge
College. It was a hard fought encounter.
The Woodridge pack was huge and we had
to pull out all stops. We managed to
secure victory, beating them17-5. The
following day they played against Thomas
More College and had to dig very deep
against a physical team. The boys stuck
to their game plan and won comfortably
in the end, 20-5. The final game was
a tough one against one of the best
independent schools in South Africa,
Hilton College. The boys were clearly
tired and drained after two gruelling
encounters and lost 0-32, however, they
enjoyed the challenge. The U15’s
have had a very successful season and
could have, with a little bit of luck,
qualified for the semi-finals. Their
best performance was, arguably, against
Hoërskool Bergvlam. The boys played
a superb brand of rugby, beating Bergvlam
31-7.
The
Under 14 Rugby squad attended the Parktown
Boys’ High School Under 14 Rugby
Festival. All teams played five 20 minute
matches over the two days. We came up
against some tough opposition. We played
against Parktown Boys’ High, St.
Stithians College, St. Andrews College,
Jeppe as well as St. Albans. Although
we could only manage a draw against
St. Andrews, we held our own on the
field and competed with enthusiasm and
pride. The boys gained tremendous experience,
and other coaches commented on how much
growth the boys showed over the two
days.
The
coaches and the players would like to
thank our parents for their continued
support and generosity. It is greatly
appreciated and it does make a difference.
We also want to thank the coaches for
their time and energy. They inspire
our boys to play way beyond their ability.
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