Round 4 of the Kobus Botha Rhino Cup, played over the past weekend, witnessed the resurgence of at least three of the log leaders. Although the Vultures continued to feast after achieving their fourth victory in a row, the margin between winning and losing is definitely shrinking. TuksRL Reds was full-value for money, but they forced the cherry-and-whites to work hard for their log points. In the end, the difference was two extra tries scored by Shaun Matsane and the pinpoint goal-kicking of Stevan Kok.
In the other feature match of the weekend, the Grizzlies demonstrated their profound commitment to challenging the current dominance of the Vultures. Following their 56 -20 defeat of Pretoria, they have narrowed the gap at the top of the log to only five points. Similarly, the points difference at the top-end of the record also started to decrease and currently stood at 44 in favour of the Vultures. Timothy Scherman, with his 8 conversions, deservedly won the weekly Golden Boot of the Week Award.
Everything is, however, not lost for the Capitols. With one game in hand, the Pretoria RLC is still in a favourable position and is at this stage only trailing the frontrunners by one, four and nine points, respectively. One game and several bonus points in the next round will make a world of difference. As indicated previously, as a founding league club in the country, much is expected from the Pretorians.
Like Pretoria, Spartans, with its two wins out of four, continue to be a factor and occupy the third position. The newcomers may just have a real say in what the future rounds and their associated results may look like. It is, however, dangerous to simply regard them as mere also-rans. The Spartans, true to their name and fearless commitment to the cause, possesses enough skill and ability to stamp their own imprint on this year’s competition.
With the Brits Bulldogs sitting in the middle of the points table, the possibilities are endless. Always dangerous and known for their tenacity, the opposition should not discount the threat of having to play them on their home ground. With ambitions of its own, they are intent on scalping, especially the Pretorians – irrespective of flag or colour.
At this stage of the competition, the Tuks Collective is firmly anchoring the bottom of the table. They are joined by the Witbank Knights. This state of affairs is not wholly surprising given the pressure of year-end exams and the massive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the academic fraternity. With educational priorities firmly at the top of the student agenda, the final resurgence of the Tukkie Rugby League may only follow at the tail-end of the season. It would, however, be prudent of the other clubs to remain strategic in their planning and not make a mistake of underestimating the commitment, ability and pride of the Tukkie Collective. To do so, may just introduce the x-factor into this year’s competition. The only time they will tell.
The Knights, on the other hand, is struggling to get out of the blocks. Judging by their historical record, they do have the ability to compete with the rest. The pandemic, however, seemed to have affected the club more than others. SA Rugby League remains committed to assisting and bringing them back to full competitiveness.
Results of Kobus Botha Rhino Cup 27 Nov. 2021
Match 1 - Pretoria RLC 20 - 56 Grizzlies
Pretoria - Tries
Core Gerber,
E Taaibosch,
Adriaan Karelse,
Craig Scott
Conversions
Adriaan Karelse 2
Grizzlies – Tries
Herman Pretorius 3
Ockert Roos 2
Brandan Le Sar
Werner Diedericks
Andre Potgieter
Stephen Alberts
Timmy Nhlapo
Conversions
Timothy Scherman 8
Match 2 - St Helen’s Vultures 24 - 12 TuksRL Reds
Vultures – Tries
Shaun Matsane 2,
Dylan Keys
Stevan Kok
Conversions
Stevan Kok 4
TuksRL Red – Tries
Allan Kasselman,
Riaan Laidlaw
Conversions
Jean Coetzer 2
Other Results -
Match 3 - Spartans 36 - 0 TuksRL Blues
Match 4 - Brits Bulldogs 36 - 0 Witbank Knights
Hat-trick Try-scorer of the Week:
Herman Pretorius 3 (Grizzlies)
Double-Header Try-scorer of the Week:
Shaun Matsane 2 (Vultures)
Ockert Roos 2 (Grizzlies)
Golden Boot of the Week:
Timothy Scherman 8 (Pretoria)
In the other feature match of the weekend, the Grizzlies demonstrated their profound commitment to challenging the current dominance of the Vultures. Following their 56 -20 defeat of Pretoria, they have narrowed the gap at the top of the log to only five points. Similarly, the points difference at the top-end of the record also started to decrease and currently stood at 44 in favour of the Vultures. Timothy Scherman, with his 8 conversions, deservedly won the weekly Golden Boot of the Week Award.
Everything is, however, not lost for the Capitols. With one game in hand, the Pretoria RLC is still in a favourable position and is at this stage only trailing the frontrunners by one, four and nine points, respectively. One game and several bonus points in the next round will make a world of difference. As indicated previously, as a founding league club in the country, much is expected from the Pretorians.
Like Pretoria, Spartans, with its two wins out of four, continue to be a factor and occupy the third position. The newcomers may just have a real say in what the future rounds and their associated results may look like. It is, however, dangerous to simply regard them as mere also-rans. The Spartans, true to their name and fearless commitment to the cause, possesses enough skill and ability to stamp their own imprint on this year’s competition.
With the Brits Bulldogs sitting in the middle of the points table, the possibilities are endless. Always dangerous and known for their tenacity, the opposition should not discount the threat of having to play them on their home ground. With ambitions of its own, they are intent on scalping, especially the Pretorians – irrespective of flag or colour.
At this stage of the competition, the Tuks Collective is firmly anchoring the bottom of the table. They are joined by the Witbank Knights. This state of affairs is not wholly surprising given the pressure of year-end exams and the massive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the academic fraternity. With educational priorities firmly at the top of the student agenda, the final resurgence of the Tukkie Rugby League may only follow at the tail-end of the season. It would, however, be prudent of the other clubs to remain strategic in their planning and not make a mistake of underestimating the commitment, ability and pride of the Tukkie Collective. To do so, may just introduce the x-factor into this year’s competition. The only time they will tell.
The Knights, on the other hand, is struggling to get out of the blocks. Judging by their historical record, they do have the ability to compete with the rest. The pandemic, however, seemed to have affected the club more than others. SA Rugby League remains committed to assisting and bringing them back to full competitiveness.
Results of Kobus Botha Rhino Cup 27 Nov. 2021
Match 1 - Pretoria RLC 20 - 56 Grizzlies
Pretoria - Tries
Core Gerber,
E Taaibosch,
Adriaan Karelse,
Craig Scott
Conversions
Adriaan Karelse 2
Grizzlies – Tries
Herman Pretorius 3
Ockert Roos 2
Brandan Le Sar
Werner Diedericks
Andre Potgieter
Stephen Alberts
Timmy Nhlapo
Conversions
Timothy Scherman 8
Match 2 - St Helen’s Vultures 24 - 12 TuksRL Reds
Vultures – Tries
Shaun Matsane 2,
Dylan Keys
Stevan Kok
Conversions
Stevan Kok 4
TuksRL Red – Tries
Allan Kasselman,
Riaan Laidlaw
Conversions
Jean Coetzer 2
Other Results -
Match 3 - Spartans 36 - 0 TuksRL Blues
Match 4 - Brits Bulldogs 36 - 0 Witbank Knights
Hat-trick Try-scorer of the Week:
Herman Pretorius 3 (Grizzlies)
Double-Header Try-scorer of the Week:
Shaun Matsane 2 (Vultures)
Ockert Roos 2 (Grizzlies)
Golden Boot of the Week:
Timothy Scherman 8 (Pretoria)