12 April 2025
Maritzburg College delivered a resounding second-half performance to notch their first win of the 2025 season, overcoming Glenwood 37-25 in a pulsating encounter on Goldstone’s, in Pietermaritzburg, on Saturday.
Coming off losses to two of KwaZulu-Natal’s heavyweights, Northwood and DHS, College was under pressure to respond – and respond they did, with a second-half blitz that stunned the Green Machine and turned a tight battle into a convincing victory.
In perfect rugby conditions, it was the hosts who struck first, with scrumhalf Dom du Toit slotting an early penalty. Glenwood, though, wasted no time in replying. Off the back of a powerful drive up the left, captain Lizwe Mthethwa ran a clever blindside line to slice through for the game’s opening try, which Joshua Koop converted to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.
A missed opportunity followed for College when skipper Wasi Vyambwera was brought down just metres short, and Glenwood made them pay by working their way upfield. A handling error at a lineout gifted the visitors a penalty, which Koop calmly slotted to stretch the lead to 10-3.
Du Toit clawed back three points, but Koop again answered to keep Glenwood seven points clear. The tide began to turn, though, as the halftime hooter approached. From a five-metre penalty, centre Amahle Hadebe sliced through for a try, and Du Toit’s conversion levelled matters at 13-all heading into the break.
What followed after the restart was nothing short of explosive. Within minutes, Hadebe lit up Goldstone’s with a breathtaking solo try. Receiving the ball near halfway, he turned on the gas, burned upfield, rounded one defender, dummied another, and dotted down next to the sticks. Du Toit added the extras, and for the first time since the second minute, College led.
Barely two minutes later, they struck again. A Glenwood ruck near halfway appeared well contained, but flank David Colenbrander burst through, linking with lock Jaden Smith, who found wing Adam Cahill in support. Cahill’s finish was sharp, Du Toit’s boot remained flawless, and suddenly College had opened up a 27-13 lead.
Then came the killer blow. When a Glenwood lineout faltered inside the College 22, the hosts countered from deep. Slick handling down the left created a gap, and they capitalised ruthlessly to cross again. Du Toit’s fifth successful kick took the score to 34-13 – 21 unanswered points in just over 10 minutes.
To their credit, Glenwood refused to lie down. Their forwards pounded away and were eventually rewarded with a try in the right-hand corner. But any hope of a comeback was quashed when Du Toit punished an infringement from the restart with another three-pointer.
Still, Glenwood had one last moment of magic. A pinpoint cross-kick from Thamsanqa Ngubane picked out Mvelo Ndwalane, who danced inside and offloaded to Joshua Edwards. He broke a tackle and stepped away to finish in the corner, with Koop converting from wide out.
But the day belonged to College, whose second-half statement laid down a marker for the season ahead.
Overall, it was a strong and rewarding day for Maritzburg College’s rugby teams, who, mostly, enjoyed the better of their battles with Glenwood.
RESULTS
1st: Maritzburg College 37-25 Glenwood
2nd: Maritzburg College 21-14 Glenwood
3rd: Maritzburg College 26-12 Glenwood
4th: Maritzburg College 50-0 Glenwood
5th: Maritzburg College 50-0 Glenwood
7th: Maritzburg College 50-0 Glenwood 6th
8th: Maritzburg College 50-0 Glenwood 7th
9th: Maritzburg College 41-0 Glenwood
10th: Maritzburg College 0-48 Howick 2nd
16A: Maritzburg College 30-10 Glenwood
16B: Maritzburg College 15-5 Glenwood
16C: Maritzburg College 10-5 Glenwood
16E: Maritzburg College 12-10 Glenwood D
16F: Maritzburg College 28-18 Glenwood E
15A: Maritzburg College 26-21 Glenwood
15B: Maritzburg College 29-7 Glenwood
15C: Maritzburg College 32-5 Glenwood
15E: Maritzburg College 15-5 Glenwood D
15F: Maritzburg College 28-18 Glenwood E
14A: Maritzburg College 29-15 Glenwood
14B: Maritzburg College 40-0 Glenwood
14C: Maritzburg College 50-0 Glenwood
14D: Maritzburg College 34-5 Howick A
14E: Maritzburg College 19-28 Glenwood D
14F: Maritzburg College 5-14 Glenwood E
HOCKEY
Glenwood made Maritzburg College work hard for a 1-0 win on Pape’s Astro on Friday evening.
The Durban school’s other A teams – u16 and u14 – performed well, too, with College edging the u16 game 3-2 and Glenwood winning the u14 clash 2-1.
The Red, Black, and White, though, showed better depth. But Glenwood’s hockey improvement continues, especially among their A teams.
RESULTS
1st: Maritzburg College 1-0 Glenwood
2nd: Maritzburg College 11-1 Glenwood
3rd: Maritzburg College 7-0 Glenwood
4th: Maritzburg College 4-0 Glenwood
16A: Maritzburg College 3-2 Glenwood
16B: Maritzburg College 0-0 Glenwood
16C: Maritzburg College 4-0 Glenwood
16D: Maritzburg College 4-0 Glenwood
14A: Maritzburg College 1-2 Glenwood
14B: Maritzburg College 4-0 Glenwood
14C: Maritzburg College 2-0 Glenwood
Leave a Reply