Wildboys Vs Smuts Match Report 69-0!!

Once again courtesy of Jaimie:

WildBoys vs. Smuts

August 8 2007

The WildBoys began the second half of the season with a dominant and overwhelming performance against an (evidently far) weaker Smuts side, running out victors with an unremorseful score of 69-0

The game began at a frenetic pace, with the WildBoys scoring 3 tries inside the opening 15 minutes. It was apparent from the outset that the WildBoys had Smuts suppressed in all quarters of the pitch. Up front, the forwards controlled the game exceptionally well, managing to consistently turn over Smuts ball before they could even remotely pose any sort of threat. Out wide, Smuts lacked neither the pace nor the cover defence to contain the WildBoys as the outside backs Oupa, Stuart Black and (the younger) Russell always looking lethal when given the space.

Oupa started the try tally with a try within the first 5 minutes of the game. Jonty Rhodes Harrison then managed to carry two supposed defenders as he went over the line for the second. Stuart then scored a brace in quick succession, exposing the Smuts boys out wide for pace, and the Wildboys having picked up a bonus point with the game barely past 20 minutes. Jonty then scored another, after taking a short offload right under the poles, and Stuart then ran in another, which was a brilliant counter from within the WildBoys 22, with Oupa offloading the pass after collecting from a Smuts chip and chase, and the ball went through the hands wide to Stuart Black, who ran half the field unopposed to score, with the result of him ending the half with a hat-trick of tries. Of the 6 tries scored in the first half, 4 were converted to give a score of 38-0.

In the second half, there was no relief for the Smuts boys, as the WildBoys continued their first half performance, taking a lion’s share of possession, as well as counter-attacking at every opportunity. Mike Russell received the ball out wide two phases after a scrum on the halfway-line, managed to run around his the opposing winger, and throw an inside pass over the fullback to Riley, who sauntered over the line unopposed. Andrew Russell ran in the Wildboys 8th try, at which point it was apparent by the several missed tackles and non-existent defensive lines that the Smuts team had become somewhat dejected in the game.

The Smuts team just never seemed to able to get their game going. The side would go through, at most, two or three phases only to have the WildBoys’ forwards turn the ball over, and the ball being sent wide for the backs to counter-attack effectively. In addition to their pack being dominated, the backs struggled to get successive strings of passes together without making any handling errors. I don’t think the Smuts team ever managed get into the WildBoys 22, let alone pose a threat on their line. Jonty completed his hat trick, Stuart Black scored his 4th (!), and Dale Owen finished the game off by beating 3 tackles to score after a poor attempt at a clearance kick by Smuts. In the two years since the Wild Boys last lost to Smuts in the B-League semi-finals, it is apparent that either Smuts has lost some strength, especially in the forwards, or that the Wildboys have become considerably stronger. Or Both.

Essentially, the game was a serious walkover before it had even started. Two players scored hat tricks, and many of the players on the roster took turns converting the tries. I was surprised to even see Riley pot one over in the second half.

All in all, it was a horribly one sided game, and the team walked out with a convincing score of 69-0.


WildBoys 69
Tries: Oupa, Jonty (3), Stuart Black (4), Riley, Andrew Russell, Dale Owen
Conversions: 7 (conversions taken by numerous individuals)

Smuts 0

© Raméters

Fire!