Match Report: Wildboys Vs Panthers

Once again courtesy of our Media Liason Jammie:

WildBoys vs. Panthers
Wednesday 29th August 2007

In what was a thrilling, entertaining game of rugby, the Wildboys, after a dominant first half, came short in the second half against a determined Panther’s side in the Quarter Finals of the Internal League, losing 17-14.

The internal league had reached the ‘knockout’ stage, where a loss for any side would result in them being unable to reach the final of the tournament. There was, therefore, a great deal at stake for both teams, and this was evident in the way the game started out.

The panther’s dominated the opening exchanges of the game, with the three-quarters making two line breaks inside the first five minutes. The initial pressure exerted by the panthers paid off, as one of their backline players collected the ball off an attempted clearance kick by the WildBoys, and very smartly drop kicked the ball, from an impressive 55 meters out, between the posts for the first points of the game. The panthers made their intentions known from the outset, leading 3-0.

This, however, seemed to galvanise the WildBoys side, who starting gaining control and possession, and playing constructively. Travis Townsend made an outside break off a neat pass by Mike Russell, and drew the fullback as he passed inside to Warren Kelly, who evaded the tackle of the covering winger to score the first try of the game. With the conversion by Russell, the WildBoys lead 7-3. The WildBoys proceeded to dominate the game, with a crucial opportunity missed no more than two minutes later, as the ball merely needed to be sent wide, but was rather taken up with first channel runs.

Just before the end of the first half, Scott Dewar collected the ball off a short lineout and pushed forward with support from his fellow forwards. Off the ruck, Russell ran with intent at the Panther’s defensive line, and gave a short pass to Oupa, who ran at a great angle, to run in the WildBoys second. With the conversion, the WildBoys seemed very comfortable ending the first half with a lead of 14-3.

Half Time WildBoys 14 – Panthers 3

The second half saw the Panthers putting the WildBoys under pressure in much the same manner as they started the first half. Their inside centre, Scott Dyson, was running good angles, and exposed the WildBoys’ defensive line between the three quarters on numerous occasions. An overlap out wide saw their winger, M. Beattie, run into space, chip over the WildBoys’ fullback, and collect the ball for a great first try for the Panthers. With the conversion, they were back in the game at 14-10.

What followed was a long period of sustained pressure by the Panthers, having twice crossed the line only to be held up. A try seemed almost certain when there was line break off second phase from a Panther’s scrum, but a strong tackle by Tauheer Yacoob forced a knock-on, giving the WildBoys a scrum, and precious breathing space after some serious offence by the Panthers.
However, it did not take the panthers long to get back into the WildBoys’ half, and off a lineout inside the WildBoys’ 22, the flyhalf gave a short pass to Scott Dyson, who ran at a good angle to cross the line unopposed for a try. With the conversion the WildBoys were behind 17-14.

The pressure continued from the Panthers, and was relentless as the WildBoys desperately needed to get out of their half, but struggling to do so. To make matters worse, after a touchline scuffle between the two teams, Riley was yellow carded, leaving the WildBoys with only 14 men on the field in the last minutes of the game. The game ended not long after that, the score remaining at 17-14.

The WildBoys should undoubtedly feel disappointed with the loss, as there were opportunities in the first half to put the game beyond the panthers. The consequences of the loss, in comparison to last week, are far greater, as the side can no longer reach the final. In the end, the WildBoys are a strong side that can beat any side on their day, but the side can now only reflect on a game that could have ended very differently, had opportunities been taken.

In the end, both sides were very evenly matched, both sides holding strong defensive lines, with the difference on the scoreboard being that astonishingly-out-of-the-blue drop goal early in the first half.


Wildboys 14
Tries: Warren (2)
Conversion: Russell (2)

Shebeen Boys 17
Tries: Beattie, Dyson
Conversion: Rick (2)
© Raméters