Vereeniging romp to PG Park win

Add as a preferred source on Google

The half-time score of the Valke Peregrine League encounter was 12-8 in favour of the visitors, who stunned the Owls with a converted try inside the first five minutes of the game.

Marcell Fourie’s men, however, clawed their way back into the game before gaining a foothold on proceedings, which saw the hosts trouble the visitors with some neat interplay.

That interplay inevitably resulted in Boksburg’s first try after threatening the Vereeniging danger zone time and again, with in-form outside centre David Woolls adding the finishing touches in the corner to give the Owls a slender 8-7 lead.

Kicker PJ Beaukes also had a chance to extend the lead from his second penalty of the half but he directed his attempt slightly wide of the posts.

Despite Boksburg shading it in the possession and territory stats, lapses in concentration cost them as the visitors forced their way in the last play of the half to take the four-point lead into the break.

It was more of the same in the game’s pattern after the break, with good defence from either side foiling good attacking rugby – keeping the affair too close to predict.

The visitors, however, slowly assumed the ascendancy and they began to starve Boksburg of the ball and forced the Owls to make a lot of tackles.

The Owls remained resistant but Vereeniging never looked back after gaining control, as they added tries and penalties which would blow the wind of the Owls’ sails.

Vereeniging’s ascendancy sandwiched moments of brilliance in the form of Boksburg’s two tries in the half, the first one coming in the form of charismatic loose forward Wilbur Harris’ try in the corner.

The Owls’ second try of the half and third of the game was something to savour and probably the best moment of brilliance you will see at PG Park this season.

With the game all but gone, feisty scrumhalf Johan Labuschagne took matters into his own hands 5m out the visitors’ try-line when he picked up the ball before ducking and muscling his way through numerous Vereeniging would-be tacklers before angrily celebrating.

Owls captain Danie ‘Spider’ Schultz said: “We should have won the game but I think we lost a bit of concentration before and after half-time and did not round off our plays. All the injuries early in the game had us on the back foot as well. Nevertheless, the game was there for the taking.”

Take nothing away from the visitors who condemned the hosts to their first defeat of the season – their second-half performance warranted what turned out to be a comfortable and fully deserved win. – @SabeloBoksburg