‘We played really good rugby, and many times we were not rewarded for good play, defence, and attacking, so it could have gone a lot better if we just rounded it off better’ – Deon Carney.
AFTER being omitted from the line-up of the 2023 Absa Wildeklawer Sports Tournament, Northern Cape High School’s rugby teams attended the Menlopark 60-year anniversary tournament in Pretoria. The Kimberley teams struggled against much stronger opposition, but put up a determined fight nonetheless.
The tournament saw six high schools – Northern Cape High (NCH), Menlopark High School, Waterkloof High School, Transvalia High School, Trio High School, and Heidelberg High School – come together for the anniversary celebration tournament.
According to Deon Carney, the head of rugby at Northern Cape High, the tournament was quite challenging for their teams, particularly their junior teams. “We played against Menlopark and Waterkloof, which are two very big schools, and they are very physical,” said Carney.
As for his first team, despite losing both games, Carney was impressed with their performance. “We played really good rugby, and many times we were not rewarded for good play, defence, and attacking, so it could have gone a lot better if we just rounded it off better,” he said.
In their game against Menlopark, NCH put up a good fight. At halftime the score was 5-5. However, in the last few minutes of the game, the hosts dominated and pulled away to a 22-5 win.
“They were just too physical, and our players are not used to that,” Carney said. “We let a couple of chances slip through our hands, so we need to learn to take every opportunity and work on rounding off our play better, and if we can do that, we will be able to take on any team.”
The game against Waterkloof High School was also a tough one for NCH who found themselves 15-0 behind in the first half. However, they fought back with three tries in the last 20 minutes of the game, ultimately losing 34-19.
Carney told the DFA that this performance was more impressive than it looked. “We didn’t have our full-strength team due to injuries,” he said. “We are sitting with four players that are injured, and that includes my captain and one of my big props, who injured his knee ligaments. So we went down with players who are not ready yet for big teams like Menlopark and Waterkloof.”
Carney said that he was pleased with the team’s overall performance, particularly that of the first team. And was hopeful that the experience gained would boost their rugby as they prepared to qualify for competitions in future based on merit.
“The juniors struggled a bit, and there is work ahead for the teams,” he said. “I hope that we can get back on track to make an impression so that we can get back into the Absa Wildeklawer tournament next year.”
Carney also expressed his gratitude to Menlopark High School for hosting the tournament and treating Northern Cape High School so well.
“Financially, it cost the players a lot of money to attend the tournament while there was one being held in their own town, but in the end, it was a successful tournament where we gained a lot of experience that we will take with us into the future,” he said.
