Fort Hare’s 1st XV defeated Rhodes University 1sts 15-14 in a nail-biting victory on Rhodes’s Great Field on Friday 25 April.
Marcus Nel of Rhodes said they were unlucky. “We were playing a top Varsity Shield side and I think we did well.”
Rhodes scored first through outside centre, Marcus Nel, who broke through to dot down under the poles. Full-back, Jonty Rawlins converted, making it 7-0.
A massive scrum saw Fort score a deserved try.
Reserve flank, Ben Davies, scored Rhodes’s second try. Rawlins fired the conversion through and extended Rhodes’s lead to nine points, with the score reading 14-5 at half-time.
After the break, Rhodes began to let themselves down as their breakdown antics led to yellow cards for reserve lock, Justin McDougall, and winger, Siviwe Gushu.
Fort Hare capitalised almost immediately. They stuck to their lineout-drives on Rhodes’s 5m line, which saw them score their second try of the night. The conversion was missed again, leaving the score at 14-10.
Rhodes tried their best to stop the onslaught in the last few minutes, but the pressure was too much to handle. Another brilliant lineout-drive from Fort Hare took them deep into Rhodes’s half.
Their elusive eighth man tore through Rhodes’s defence to score their third try, ending in a score of 15-14 to Fort Hare.
Brandon Yates