Rugby’s best to be honoured
Alberton Rugby Club will honour their best achievers on Friday November 22 at the annual prize-giving.
ALBERTON – The get together of first team players and other teams will lead to many stories being told of happenings on the field the past season.
But, without doubt the best rugby story of the season must be the story of Alberton’s “heartbreaking defeat “, as the Record described it, in the annual rugby derby between the two Grand Challenge League rugby clubs in the South, Union and Alberton. It ended at Union in a defeat literally in the dying moments of the game for Alberton.
With just two minutes to go on the clock, eight man Grant Victor went over for a try to give Alberton the lead 34-33 the same one point difference as last year’s derby score of 26-25.
However, it is not over until it’s over and in the sport world it is definitely not over before “the fat lady has sung”. In this case the soprano has already cleared her throat for the victory aria and Alberton supporters have already seen visions of winning the new trophy at stakes to bring their first trophy in six years home.
Nobody told Union’s accurate kicking fly half this and a penalty in front of the poles in the last seconds reversed the score to 34-36 in Union’s favour and the Alberton players went down on their knees in total disbelief. If there ever was a real heartbreaking defeat in Alberton’s rugby history, then it was definitely this one.
The entire eighty minutes it was the closest of close games with the halftime score 17-all. In the first part of the second half Union took control and was leading at one stage by 30-22 but Alberton came back strongly in the final stages. Alberton’s five tries were scored by Anton Vlok, Clinton Groenewald, Ruan Nel, Ryno Hendrikz and Grant Victor in that order. Fullback Ruan Nel converted three tries and added one penalty.
