False Bay holds SLA champs Hamilton to a draw

Jon Harris

Motorvaps False Bay surprised hosts Hamiltons RFC by holding them to a 17-17 draw at a soggy Stephan Grounds in Sea Point on Saturday. The visitors led 7-0 at the break.

Hamiltons, off consecutive losses, were deserved favourites to bank the win against their far younger, smaller and lighter opponents. With a powerful pack laying the foundation up front and quality, athletic backs behind, the Bay had their work cut out for them. Yes, the coaches at the Constantia club don’t just send a team into battle with forethought. They choose according to opposition and game plan, as evidenced in their recent victories against fancied opposition. An example is the selection of extremely veteran Ryan Olivier to start at lock, his physicality, bulk and sheer power central to igniting and feeding the fire on the pitch.

Hammies are a high quality, well-coached team. Superlatives to describe their tight five are not out of place. Massive props, a bulky, busy hooker, two tall and heavy locks and a loose trio versed in the challenges of loose play and challenging the breakdown. Their backline, built for speed but physically imposing, was primed to exploit the advantage created by numbers one to eight.

The unpredictability of the game, coupled with the spirit of the underdog and the effects of the weather conditions, were the variable factors the home team needed to master to emerge victorious. The weather conditions, something no one can control, turned out to be the leveller on the day. As any Capetonian may attest, Saturday morning saw a consistent downpour of rain estimated at 50mm.

It required the shifting of other games on the programme to be moved to surrounding fields, with only the First and Second XVs taking to the A field. Referee Paul Nel and his assistants, the final adjudicators, deemed the field worthy and safe for the main contest.

It is here that False Bay adapted to the conditions better than their opponents. With large sections of the pitch waterlogged and muddy, the bigger Hamilton forwards were negated to a large degree. Lineouts for both teams were mostly a lottery as the swirling wind, always howling, challenged the throw-in skills of the hookers. Behind that power pack, the athletic, powerfully built Sea Pointers appeared to be bogged down in the mud, further frustrated by inaccurate ball handling. The efforts of centre Kyle Lamb appeared to be a determined stand to challenge the False Bay line. Tasked as ball carrier, he succeeded in using his feet in defiance of the soggy turf and kept the defensive line at a stretch as he challenged the advantage line with every break.

Conversely, the Bay were lighter up front, yet by no means subdued. Olivier was just one of the frontline warriors who stood firm, although it was his stand in the face of a sustained Hamilton onslaught that saw him latch on to the ball in a maul and force the turnover despite determined efforts by the striped jerseys to dislodge him. It was an inspirational act which epitomised the effort of the visitors to absorb the pressure exerted upon them.

The Bay withstood the onslaught and, through clever box kicks, worked their way back into the Hammies' half. Awarded a 5-metre scrum, the Bay scrum stood firm, eighthman Shayne Ordison picking up from the base and powering over for the try. Scrumhalf Ruan van Willing converted.

Proceedings for much of the first half followed a similar pattern, the home forwards never settling into a dominant role, their backline committing too many errors. That aside, Hammies had a surfeit of possession and played rugby as much as they could, confident that their relentless attack would pay dividends. Evidence of this juxtaposition was the 205 tackles False Bay were forced to make during the contest, yet they only surrendered their line twice during the entire match.

The second half was always going to be the true test of character for both sides. Hammies needed to reduce their errors and convert their possession advantage into points on the scoreboard. False Bay had to keep their line intact in the face of sustained pressure from their hosts, further spurred by the ignominy of a rarely experienced three defeats in a row. Not only did the Bay need to defend, they needed to score points to stay in the hunt for victory. 

Former Blue Bull, Travis Ishmail, eased over on the blind side for a try, with fullback Yazeem Karriem converting with the wind. He then took his team into a lead when he converted a penalty.

As has become evident throughout the season, False Bay don’t give up easily. They regained the lead with an unconverted van Willing try. The intensity increased even further, Hammies now exerting constant pressure on their visitors.

The referee was required to consult with his assistant before awarding a try to the hosts, scored by Lamb. The ball was swotted back from a lineout by False Bay, falling into no-man’s-land, Lamb grabbing the advantage, Constantia support not convinced of its legality. Whatever the debate, Karriem made it a five-point lead with the conversion. No debate.

The encounter, no less exciting considering the conditions, continued to deliver on entertainment and suspense. The Bay regained the lead in the last ten minutes, a typical try by wing Daniel Hayes, but the South Easter spat van Willing’s conversion attempt back at him.

That same blustery wind played a vicious hand on the Sea Pointers in injury time. Having prevented van Willing’s conversion attempt from barely reaching the ten-metre mark, it was expected to deposit rocksteady Karriem’s penalty conversion, for the victory, deep in the neighbour’s gardens. Instead, Karriem watched in despair as his kick into the teeth of the wind skewed horribly to the right, missing its target by met

res.

It delivered a draw, the umpteenth to which these clubs have played in the last twelve years. It opens the door to a possible third place finish on the SLA table for False Bay, but that would be dependent on the performances of Hamilton in the final two outings.

False Bay travels to Kuils River on Saturday. “Kuile” may occupy one of the two bottom positions on the SLA table, but this means nothing to the proud, passionate club, and False Bay can barely afford to break their stride at this stage of their campaign.

 First games are at 1.25 pm. The main fixture kicks off at 4 pm.