Alberton edge out Union in derby thriller
From the opening whistle the tackling was uncompromising and no quarter was asked or given.
A SQUARE Forklift Alberton Rugby Club took the glory in a thrilling game with their old rivals, Union, from the other side of Klipriver Drive on Saturday, April 1.
It was a typical local derby filled with emotion and passion that provided the large crowd with thrilling entertainment.
The game started off at a frantic pace and from early on it was evident that this was going to be a brutally physical game irrespective of what the result would be.
Although the first half did not provide any points, it was anything but a dull affair.
From the opening whistle the tackling was uncompromising and no quarter was asked or given.
As can be expected in a local derby, there was a lot of commitment shown by both sides. The only negative was that this led to a number of cards being shown by the referee for constant infringements as well as high and dangerous tackles.
At one stage Alberton had two players relaxing under the opposition poles and 15 minutes later Union had two players under the Alberton posts.
That being said, Alberton were not only positive and effective on attack but their defence was also very good. The difference between last year and this year: the speed and willingness to defend, especially cover defence once the opposition had breached the backline.
On attack, the general speed of Alberton on the outside and the second try of Arnold Smit was a direct result of this raw speed. He got the ball from a backline move and had a small 5m gap between himself and the touchline. His speed enabled him to outstrip the cover defence to score in the corner.
In all, the result was not as important as the way this team played as a unit but for the record, the hosts outscored their opponents by three tries to one in the second half. The visitors did also convert a penalty to make the full-time score 15-8.
Tries: Thorn Khumalo, Arnold Smit and Jacques van Wyk.
Probably the other biggest change that was evident was the overall conditioning of the players. That allows you to defend and attack better, because with fatigue the decision-making becomes less sharp.
They have obviously done a lot of work in the off-season.
Other sides’ scores: u.19 first team: 52 – 22; Second team: 34 – 3; Third team: 0 – 27; U.21: 48 – 14
Watch this space for fixture updates.
Let us go and fill the stands. This team is going to be very competitive if it keeps improving from here.
Well done, Alberton!
Article and photographs by Wayne Raath
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