United show they mean business by beating Kempton in Peregrine League
The half-time score was 13-5 in United’s favour.
A makeshift East Rand United team went into high gear in the second half to beat Kempton Park 44-33 in a high-scoring Peregrine League encounter at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park on Saturday, April 21.
After a slow start in the first stanza with the try-happy United struggling to click into gear, Stephan Nel’s men finally stamped their authority in the second following the break and scored 31 points to secure yet another bonus point win.
The arrival of strong recruits to United during the off season left coach Nel spoiled for choice. The trainer exercised his options, with the rotated starting 15 doing enough to keep the hosts at bay.
The likes of incumbent scrum half and team player of the year Tiaan Ramat, star centre Waylon Thompson and Kholekile Bakumeni started on the bench. The wing forwards were also shuffled, with Raymond Herron and Peter Mnguni operating in the flank positions.
Ramat came off the bench, as did prop forward Dirk van Wyk, and they scored a try apiece. They were joined on the scoreboard by Jaco Herselman, Clayton Gindan, Jacques-Heinrich Dumas and former Brakpan star wing Leon ‘Sweef’ Potgieter, who scored a brace of tries.
Nel said: “It took a while for us to get going, mainly due to a lot of rugby we’ve played recently.
“First half we struggled to get on the ball and to get going. I didn’t like that, but I understood – there was a lot of fatigue.”
On playing a makeshift 15, the trainer explained: “I knew Kempton wasn’t going to be a big threat even though they’re a good team. I rested about seven players and it was just a case of managing the players.”
United scorers: Tries – Leon Potgieter (2), Dirk van Wyk, Tiaan Ramat, Jaco Herselman, Clayton Gindan, Jacques-Heinrich Dumas. Conversions – Cameron Rooi (3). Penalties – Jan Harm Venter.
