24 June 2023
A young Hilton College line-up, with only two regular 1st XV starters in the team, ensured that KwaZulu-Natal schools convincingly went four for four on the opening day of the Independent Schools Rugby Festival in Bloemfontein when they ran out 43-5 winners over Saint Stithian’s College of Johannesburg.
The Hilton side was much changed from the team that was narrowly defeated by Michaelhouse the previous weekend, with many of the school’s players on provincial duty for the Sharks. Yet, they still turned in a typical Hilton performance, with good basics, the pack performing effectively at ruck and maul time, and cohesive play between the backs and forwards.
Such was Hilton’s control and dominance at the rucks and mauls that they scored all three of their first half tries with direct attacks off of rucks. It was 17-5 at halftime.
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So, Hilton stuck to their hard-to-stop formula. Early in the second half, they scored again from close range after the forwards had tugged the Saint Stithian’s defenders left, then right.
Hilton claimed their fifth try not long after, and this time they did it from distance, with the flyhalf Xola Makongolo slicing between two would be tacklers before side-stepping the fullback and going over for the five points. A successful conversion took the boys from the KZN Midlands 31-5 clear.
Then, Saint Stithian’s failed to win a lineout ball inside their 22 and Hilton captain Luke Warren burst away from a contested maul to add to his side’s tally. Tristan Uys took the conversion attempt, but he was wide to the left with his kick.
Hilton were full of confidence and a sharp backline move put Tristan Uys in the clear down the right. He was stopped just shy of the try-line, but Hilton were awarded a penalty and they, once more, went over from close range through Dylan Neill to extend their lead. An easy conversion kick made it 43-5.
As time wound down, Saint Stithian’s came close to scoring a second try, but Hilton, with typical defensive grit, withstood a number of phases with Saints on their try-line to close out the game.
RESULTS
Clifton College 29-8 Union High
Saint Charles College 21-5 Cornwall Hill College
Kearsney College 47-12 Saint Alban’s College
CBC Boksburg 38-5 Free State Development XV
Saint Andrew’s School 21-24 Saint David’s Marist Inanda
Hilton College 43-5 Saint Stithian’s College
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