Men over boys

The UCT’s notorious ‘Green Mile’ once again played host to another cracking Wednesday evening filled with attractive student rugby! As it has come to be expected on the Groote Schuur fields sitting neatly on the slopes of the imposing TM, the wind played a major factor, resulting predominantly in low scoring affairs. The UCT Purple Cobra’s however did not succumb to the driving gale, scoring four tries and walking away with another maximum 5 points for the second week running.

Their rivals, the Wild Boys, comprising of many a foe on the field and a friend off, simply could not pose a big enough threat to the rampant Cobra’s who were out to prove a point, playing against arguably the toughest team in the pool. The Wild Boys had the wind at their backs in the first half, but failed to turn such an advantage in points. The Cobra’s who were defensively sound throughout the match, were camped deep in their half for the opening quarter of the match. Battling to gain the ascendancy, the Cobra’s men eventually managed to bash their way in the oppositions half, and a subsequent penalty being awarded for offside play, the Cobra’s, off a tap penalty, formally punched their way through the scattered Wild Boys defence, through the form of wing/come flank Brendan Raubenhiemer, conversion successful, 7-zipp to the title holders. Ten minutes later fullback stalwart Dean ‘Stefan Terblanche’ Smorrie unleashed his pace to score a scintillating 60-meter breakaway try! With the conversion a mere formality, the Cobra’s took to the break with a 14- nil lead. The second stanza, beginning rather uncharacteristically with the newly wind-favoured team holding the lead, took another turn for the bizarre. A slight lapse in concentration saw the Cobra’s line breached for the first time in the internal league since the semi-final stages of 2008. The Cobra’s soon rectified matters, however, with tight head prop Shane Swanich dotting over for his madden Cobra’s try, the conversion was duly, well, converted. As the match began to close out, with the win simply not being enough, the Cobra’s strung together one last surge in the quest for that fourth bonus point try. And soon enough, with the man only recognised these days by the yellow backwards cap that he dons so often, Nico Loizedes crossed over. Replacement fly half Richard Morris, calmly struck over the conversion.
And to the change room they trudged!

Final score, Cobra’s Men 28, Wild Boys 5!