Hamiltons Past Fixtures
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Past Games & Results
1st XV vs False Bay on 2011-09-10 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 42 | False Bay 21
Match Report
On a much colder day than last week we took on False Bay at Stephan Way in our last match of the season. Again it was a game of good and bad. Much more good than bad I am pleased to say. The bad all seems to come from a lack of concentration; interceptions, charge downs and a few missed tackles. The handling overall was much better than last week and there was a lot to admire in a game where we came out worthy winners.
Our first points on the board were a Jano van Zyl penalty, followed not long after by a try from Francois Prinsloo. A good try by Claude Burger, taking his opposite wing on the outside, was converted by Jano, taking the score to 15-0. A confident Hammies rejected 3 points in front of the posts and kicked to the corner. Another penalty and we took the scrum and play continued until we conceded a penalty and our advantage was lost.
However it was not long before we were on the attack again. The ball went down the line and a typical Terry Jacobs chip and chase saw him retrieve the ball on the line to dot down. We won the ball from the restart but a clearing kick was charged down by a bullocking False Bay forward who off-loaded neatly to a three-quarter who touched down under the posts for 7 points. The next time we were offered a kickable penalty, although much more difficult than the one we spurned, we gave the ball to Jano van Zyl and he duly obliged.
Half time score 23-7.
False Bay registered the first points of the second half when their nippy little scrum half made a 50 metre break and turned the ball inside for his centre to score, again under the posts. When Hammies did score next it was a beauty. We won turnover ball and there was a great handling movement with a superb final pass from Jano to Claude. The way Claude Burger skinned his man on the outside was a purists dream.
Now sometimes in the crowd you can see a clear intercept coming long before it happens, or at least the danger of it. I did, and Henri behind me even shouted watch out before we passed the ball for the False Bay player to scoot between our backs to run fully 75 metres for their third converted try to reduce the gap to seven.
Undeterred Hamies came back with another try, very similar to our previous one. This time with Jandre du Plessis finishing off after rounding their wing and full-back on the outside. Jano again converted. The Bay had one last flurry of activity in our 22m, still hoping to save the match, but a penalty to Hammies and the danger was gone. The final score of the match was when Alshaun Bock, who had come on for Terry, hacked a loose ball ahead following a Bay error. The bounce on the line was unlucky for the Bay full-back and Alshaun pounced on the ball, over the line, to score and Jano converted.
It was overall a good performance from most players, forwards and backs, with, for me, Claude and Jano playing exceptionally well.
Final score: Hamiltons 42 - 21 False Bay.
1st XV vs Belhar on 2011-09-03 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 41 | Belhar 24
Match Report
The firsts started like a house on fire on Saturday when we entertained Belhar at home. The first half proved to be an exhilarating affair with the ball being spread from touch line to touch line.
Bennie Adams scored his first off a well executed drive, an area that we dominated the entire day with Rod Labuschagne ruling the aerial battle in the lineouts.
His lock partner, Tiaan Fick, had his best game as a Hammies player on Saturday, putting in some massive tackles and carrying the ball over the advantage line on numerous occasions. It was a real thrill to see the big men getting stuck in with such vigour. Jano van Zyl then counter chipped and gathered to score a brilliant individual effort to put us 12-0 up.
Belhar got into the spirit of the game and contributed to a high speed spectacle that had the crowd in raptures as the game ebbed and flowed from end to end.
Terry Jacobs was held up over the try line for the second time in the first half hour lead to a deep, quick restart from the Belhar Flyhalf we regathered and launched from deep with Martin Du Toit putting Bennie over for his brace.
Tiaan Fick scored the bonus point try off another 5m lineout for a well deserved 5-pointer.
Half Time: 24-7 to Hammies
We discussed upping the tempo at half time, but I think Belhar had tapped into our discussion and came out like men possessed and managed to match us in the second half as we both crossed for a further 3 tries.
Two of theirs did come through intercepts but when you start playing an all out attacking game this is inevitably going to happen.
Tyrone Holmes scored the first of the second half when he charged down a clearance kick and scored under the posts to make it 31-7.
Belhar fought back with 2 tries to get to 31-19 before Pierre Cronje changed direction after a series of phases to allow Noel de Villiers to put Jandre du Plessis into space as he side stepped his way through the scrambling defence to score a great try (36-19).
Belhar then defended manfully to hold us out before they intercepted a Terry Jacobs pass to sprint 80 metres to score their bonus point try.
Terry Jacobs however made amends minutes later when he rounded off a sweeping back line move to end the day as 41-24 victors.
We have sewn up third spot on the log - not what we had set out to achieve - but as the top open club in the Cape we have put ourselves in line to qualify for a proposed new national competition that sounds extremely promising. We will wait with baited breath for the official announcement.
Man of the Match & Biggest Hit: Tian Fick
Tries for Hammies: Bennie Adams 2, Jano van Zyl 1, Tyrone Holmes 1, Tian Fick 1, Jandre du Plessis 1, Terry Jacobs 1
Conversions: Jano van Zyl x 3
1st XV vs Maties on 2011-08-24 21:00:00 @ Craven Stadium
WON Hamilton 1st XV 17 | Maties 16
Match Report
A roller coaster of a week from the extreme lows of the last minute defeat to UCT to another sensational high of beating Stellenbosch 17-16 in their own backyard on Wednesday night.
We travelled to Coetzenberg on Wednesday evening with the boys looking to gain back some pride after having been on the receiving end of some narrow losses this season that have ultimately cost us the Grand Challenge.
Hammies started off extremely well with the pack setting a decent foundation for the backs to attack. This was undoubtedly the best performance by the three quarters this season as we cut the Maties backs at will. Some superb decision making coupled with accurate passing saw Fullback, Jano van Zyl, cross out wide for a converted try.
Stellenbosch then came back strongly and managed to score off two lineout drives which were unconverted to go into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
We addressed our defensive issues surrounding these drives at half time and continued with our policy of all out attack stretching the students wide.
Martin du Toit and Liam Slatem both had superb games, varying their play intelligently. The tactical kicking from these two was out of the top drawer, and they have grown immensely over the season. It was a moment of anticipatory brilliance from Liam Slatem that lead to the second try as he swept onto a grubber from the Stellenbosch Fullback, Jarryd Buys, stepping two defenders and finally unleashing Terry Jacobs who raced away to beat the cross cover to score out wide. We failed to convert but had taken the lead 12-10.
The balance of the second half was a war of attrition with Stellenbosch launching attacks and drives at us only to be smashed backwards by a marauding sea of Hamilton defenders. Ledwidge and McNish in particular put in bone-jarring hits. Maties pack had started to tire and we continued to turn over possession and relieve pressure with some excellent counters and touch finders.
Stellenbosch had managed to convert two penalties in this period and held a 16-12 lead with 10 minutes remaining. We then upped the tempo and built up some pressure by retaining the ball through numerous phases. A great change of direction by Slatem found Captain, Noel de Villiers, at stand-off. A great block line run by Lock, Mike Ledwidge saw de Villiers thread his drift pass to fellow centre, Jandre du Plessis, who put a flying Eightman, Francois Prinsloo, over in the corner.
We held out and closed off the game to gain a morale-boosting 17-16 win over the log leaders.
Man of the Match: Liam Slatem
Biggest Hit: Michael Ledwidge
1st XV vs UCT on 2011-08-20 16:00:00 @ University A
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 23 | UCT 25
Match Report
Gutted.
That pretty much describes the emotions that the players and management experienced as the final whistle blew against UCT on Saturday.
To lose a game we dominated and lead for nearly 81 minutes was gut wrenching as we had worked extremely hard and deserved the victory. But hats off to UCT who managed to get revenge for the first round defeat in what was a pulsating fixture on the Green Mile.
3 tries apiece. Our backs scored 2 gems after the forwards had set a great platform. Martin du Toit first ghosted through on the blind in the first 5 minutes , before Jano van Zyl rounded off an excellent counter, ignited by a sniping Slatem. Good interplay between Noel de Villiers and Jano lead to us scoring and taking a 15 nil lead into half time.
Varsity had the wind to their backs and scored 2 tries. The first was after some neat interplay but the second was a gift as we fluffed a lineout on our goal line only to see their Captain, Don Armand, pounce to score.
With 4 minutes remaining we scored as Claude Burger cut the UCT defense to score under the poles. A moment of madness by Referee J. Jafta who then deemed that our kicker had started his run as he went to reset the ball to convert meant that we only had a 5 point lead.
This proved costly as WP Centre, Marcel Brache, scored the winning try after a neat chip on our try line. They converted to end 25-23 victors.
Biggest Hit went to Flanker, Tyrone Holmes, and Man of the Match went to Centre, Jandre du Plessis.
Tries for Hammies: Claude Burger 1, Jano van Zyl 1, Martin du Toit 1
Conversions: Jano van Zyl
Penalties: Jano van Zyl 1, Pierre Cronje 1
1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2011-08-13 16:00:00 @ Durbanville A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 13 | Durb-Bell 9
Match Report
The long drive down the N1 to face Durbanville was always going to be a testing trip. Add a bit of rain and a muddy field and all the factors start favouring the home team as conditions nullified the attacking aspects of our game.
The game in its entirety was not a spectacle to watch, but it was in my opinion the most bruising encounter of the season. The hits were massive, the rucks and breakdown were attacked with a ferocious intent, and bodies were put on the line by both teams. Many of our lads and I can assure you many of those from Durbanville were nursing aching bodies on Sunday morning.
In spite of this, the result somewhat eliminates the pain as we fought tooth and nail to edge them out on their home pitch 13-9. The first half was a battle of attrition with Jano van Zyl and the Durb-Bell stand-off trading penalties to ensure that against the breeze we went into half time 9-6 down.
We had given ourselves 2 or 3 good scoring opportunities only to see the referee penalise us inches from their try line.
The second half was pretty much the same with our defensive effort being massive as we held them out. We had a try disallowed for a somewhat suspect forward pass after a great blindside scrum move. This was followed by our Hooker, JG Gilomee, scoring from the 5m line after a great drive. Our stars did not seem to be aligned and father time was against us.
A great scrum on our 10m line lead to the defining moment of the game. Eightman, Willem Van der Wal, unleashed Liam Slatem who fed to Fullback, Pierre Cronje. The Lone Wolf timed his pass to Jano van Zyl drawing the would-be defender to unleash the flying winger who then side stepped infield and linked back with Slatem who sped away down field. As the cross cover closed in, Slatem fed to Solly Tyibilika who had run a great support line. Then Tyibilika unleashed a flying Captain, Noel De Villiers, on his outside to score in the left corner. Janos conversion ensured we had a 4 point lead and we closed out the game with some well executed slow ball management. It was always going to take a moment of magic to separate the two teams and Hammies showed great composure in trying conditions to ensure that they kept the clubs hopes of winning the SLA title alive. Not Pretty, but a great win nonetheless. UCT at the Green Mile on Saturday will be an epic encounter.
Man of the Match
goes to Noel de Villiers and Biggest Hit goes to Bennie Adams.Tries for Hammies: JG Gillomee 1, Noel de Villiers 1
Penlady: Jano van Zyl
1st XV vs Victorians on 2011-08-06 16:00:00 @ Craven Stadium
WON Hamilton 1st XV 31 | Victorians 24
Match Report
Roll On. That was the motto of the Hammies Boys as we headed out to Stellenbosch to face Victorians. We expected an onslaught from the students and that is exactly what we got in the first half. But the team showed great composure on defence and attack to stem the spirit of the youngsters.
We scored 3 tries in the first half, 2 off perfectly executed set phase possession. The first was a driving maul which saw Eightman, Willem van der Wal, dot down and the latter by Wing, Alshaun Bock, after a flowing back line move where crisp, accurate passing created the space off a scrum for Bock to shimmy inside out to cross the whitewash. Ian Coetzee converted 1 of these tries.
Dean Grant had kept Vics in the contest via 3 penalties and the score after 30 minutes was 12-9 to us. Grant then launched an up and under which we failed to negate. It bounced perfectly for their winger, Tsepo, to score untouched. The students had taken a 16-12 lead and the pressure had shifted back onto us.
We responded immediately through 5 phases of play and a free kick that we tapped and played, quickly resulting in Willem van der Wal scoring his brace after some slick hands by Skipper, Noel De Villiers, and Bennie Adams. So we headed into the shed at the break with a narrow lead although we had let them creep back into the game.
Halftime score: 19-16 to Hammies
The game should have been over in the next 20 minutes as we scored 2 further tries. Hooker, JG Giliomee, crashed over for the first before Van der Wal got a hat trick off another perfectly executed drive. This brought the score to 31-12. Hammies seemed to relax and created opportunities, but were not rounding them off and this allowed Vics to sneak back into the game.
We held out in the end to win 31-24 with another 5-pointer in the bag. SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match goes to Greg van Jaarsveld, a hooker by trade who covered and put his body on the line playing 60 minutes at Tighthead and later on the flank. It is this spirit that makes this team special and I can sense an extremely exciting next 5 weeks after some interesting results over the weekend. Biggest Hit goes to Lock, Mike Ledwidge.
We play Durbanville next weekend away and, as they say, Payback is a Bitch. We owe them from the first round so it is going to be an epic encounter. See you all out there.
Tries for Hammies: Willem van der Wal 3, JG Gilomee 1, Alshaun Bock 1
Conversions: Ian Coetzee 3
1st XV vs Helderberg on 2011-07-29 21:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 35 | Helderberg 12
Match Report
I have to agree Friday nights are not the best for club rugby. Lighting, poor crowd attendance and players minds elsewhere after a long day at the office are not exactly the perfect recipe for a great night out.
Hammies did, however, manage to put most of this aside and walk away with another five pointer against Helderberg. Berge have been a bit of a bogey side over the past 2 seasons, so to win so comfortably at the end was relieving but it was far from the performance we were looking for.
We did not start well. Hammies worked hard to put ourselves in scoring positions only to lose our first phase possession. We ended up conceding penalties in our half which Helderbergs flyhalf, Hugo, took full advantage of propelling the visitors into an early 6-0 lead. Helderberg were playing a real spoiling type of game slowing our ball down, collapsing our mauls and getting in between us with our jerseys seeming to clash with too many fifty-fifty passes going astray.
We finally got on the board after a neat passage of play saw Terry Jacobs beat the crossover jinxing in field to score in the corner. Martin Du Toit did not have a good day at the office with his goal kicking, missing 2 penalties and 3 conversions in the first half, which compounded the pressure as we were not exploiting our dominance. Du Toit did make up for this with his general play leading his troops with some great playmaking and vision that set up some great attacking and scoring opportunities.
The ref finally lost patience and sin-binned 2 of Helderbergs forwards for repeated infringements. This saw us convert our numerical advantage with Flanker, Tyrone Holmes, scoring off a well executed maul and skipper, Noel De Villiers, cutting through the defence after a great scrum allowed Eightman, Willem Van Der Wal, to burst away off the base to unleash Noel de Villiers who ran a great angle to score untouched.
Halftime score: 18-9 to Hammies
In the second half, Hammies went searching for the bonus point, which finally came mid way through the final 40. Loosie Holmes nabbed his brace after running a superb reverse line off playmaker du Toit to score a gem. Ian Coetzee had been introduced and he added the extra 2 points. A further 2 penalties from Coetzee took us out to 31-12.
Alshaun Bock ended the evenings proceedings when he showed some electrifying pace to go over for his try late in the game to make it a comfortable victory: 35-12.
All in all it was mission accomplished and we will take all the positives from the last couple of weeks as we prepare for Victorians this week.
We are on a roll and have to keep this momentum going to ensure that we stay in contention. To all of you who braved the chills to come and support us many thanks and we look forward to seeing you in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match went to Tyrone Holmes. Biggest Hit was awarded to front ranker, Christo McNish.
1st XV vs Villager on 2011-07-16 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 41 | Villager 13
Match Report
It was another great Saturday at Hammies as we hosted our old foe Villager on a glorious day in Cape Town. A sparse group of spectators ventured out to the game and by the time they left they would have been more than satisfied after feasting on 80 minutes of open running rugby by the home team.
While we struggled with our set phase possession in the first half, the backs made full use of any opportunity thrown their way, scoring 4 tries and securing the bonus point by half time. The first was probably the best of them all with Pierre Matt Rogers Cronje hitting and breaching the line from fullback, and unleashing Centre, Jandre Du Plessis, with a great offload. Jandre stepped wide, drew the defence across and Terry Jacobs switched with him leaving Villagers for dead as he put the hammer down and scored. Jandre du Plessis was rewarded 5 minutes later after some neat interplay and a great pop from Wing, Dane Johnson, to score in the corner.
Scrumhalf, Liam Slatem, and Dane Johnson scored the other 2 tries before Villager came back through a converted David Crook try, and a penalty from Warren Edwards.
Halftime score: 24-10 to Hammies
We sorted out our basics at half time and our set phases started to function. Villager applied pressure in the first 20 minutes but could not breach our defensive system, their only reward being a solitary penalty.
Our subs were introduced and we unshackled the hold Villager had with Liam Slatem finishing off a great solo effort after a turnover in our 22. Wing, Alshaun Bock, who had replaced Jacobs rounded off a great set play off a scrum which saw him gallop away to score untouched after a neat pass from Ian Coetzee.
It was then Ian Coetzees chance to get in on the act with a neat chip and chase to dot down the final 5 pointer. Flyhalf, Martin du Toit, converted 3 on the day to make it 41-13 when the final whistle blew.
The vibe at the club was fantastic with the Castle Corner functioning at full speed and the after match fines was special. The spirit is at an all time high and we look forward to seeing you all down at our next home game against Helderberg. We are on a roll and we now need to continue this trend as the season draws to a close.
SA Rugby Man of the Match went to Pierre Cronje and Biggest Hit went to Christo McNish.
Tries for Hammies: Terry Jacobs 1, Jandre du Plessis 1, Alshaun Bock 1, Ian Coetzee 1, Liam Slatem 2, Dane Johnson 1
Conversions: Martin du Toit 3
1st XV vs SK-Walmers on 2011-07-09 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 29 | SK-Walmers 19
Match Report
One could not have asked for a better day as the rugby gods smiled down on us. Hamiltons was the setting for yet another titanic clash between the 1sts and our Green Point neighbours, Schotche Kloof Walmers. The crowds flocked in and the atmosphere at Stephan Way was electric.
After Hamiltons first round defeat to SK-W, the men in Red, Yellow and Black were determined to set the record straight and came out snorting like a raging bull from the kick off.
Hammies had two tries disallowed in the first 15 minutes: the first a driving maul for supposed side entry, and the second for a forward pass after some neat interplay, and Jason de Villiers Sonny Bill Williams chicken wing off-load being deemed forward by Referee, Joey Salmon, who had a good day at the office and officiated the tense game extremely well.
The first points came from the boot of fullback, Ian Coetzee, who had a somewhat off day, missing 4 out of 5 before Martin du Toit took over and relieved his coaches concerns. Du Toit kicked 4 out of 5 on the day and continued to convert pressure into points.
SK-W were first on the board in the try scoring stakes with Ishmael Dollie intercepting and dotting down under the posts to give his side a 7-6 lead. A penalty by Dollie saw the lead stretched before Hammies scored their first try off a powerful set piece drive with Mzwanele Zito and Mike Ledwidge dominating the lineouts. SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match, Solly Tyibilika, touched down and the half time score was 13-10 in Hamiltons favour. We had the ascendancy with our half back pairing of Liam Slatem and Martin du Toit functioning well, and Jason and Noel de Villiers (no relation) had cut and thrust and were causing headaches for the SK-W defense.
Dollie and Du Toit traded penalties before Hammies opted for a lineout rather than taking the points on offer.
The replacements went on and the impact was made with the defense shoring up any SK-W attack. Then came the real test as Hamilton had failed to hold onto leads in the past. Du Toit and Slatem pinned the visitors back and forced them to play from within their 22 metre. This pressure resulted in a fine bit of team play with phases being set up and Du Toit unleashed a perfectly timed pass to free winger, Terry Jacobs, who had a great game on attack and defense, to score in the corner (21-13).
Later on, a converted try by loose forward, Maurice Reid, from the drive proved that Noel de Villiers had executed the game plan.
Penalties were traded in the final 10 minutes but a buoyant and determined Hamiltons side was not to be denied their revenge. The final score was 29-19 in favour of the home team and preventing log leaders SK-W from getting any bonus points and Hammies taking 4 home log points to move up to third in the standings.
All in all it was a great spectacle for Western Cape club rugby fans in attendance who numbered in the hundreds. The tremendous atmosphere, hard and uncompromising rugby has become synonymous with the WP Super League A, and Saturday was no exception.
Hammies hosts Villager next week so we look forward to another humdinger in Greenpoint.
Biggest Hit of the day went to wing, Terry Jacobs, for his great scramble defence after SK-W intercepted the ball and saved a certain try against us.
Tries for Hammies: Solly Tyibilika 1, Maurice Reid 1, Terry Jacobs 1
Conversion: Martin du Toit
Penalties: Ian Coetzee 1, Martin du Toit 3
1st XV vs Belhar on 2011-06-25 16:00:00 @ Accordian Park
WON Hamilton 1st XV 44 | Belhar 13
Match Report
Our first outing at Accordian Park against Belhar proved to be an experience that far surpassed any expectations that I had. The hospitality from our hosts was superb, the crowd vibe and atmosphere was exactly what we as rugby enthusiasts want to experience on a Saturday.
The rugby did not disappoint and put the cherry on top of a great afternoon with Hammies running out comfortable victors 44-13 winners.
We started off somewhat jittery with the players seemingly over eager to get us back on track by playing a high tempo game with far too many handling errors costing us in the opening stanza.
Belhar drew first blood with our defence found napping as they exploited our short-side to take a 5-0 lead through a try by their centre, O. Damons.
This seemed to change our mindset and the lads refocused and started doing the basics correctly. This resulted in Belhar committing numerous infringements at the breakdown. Ian Coetzee slotted our first penalty and we slowly started to gain territorial dominance.
In the 20th minute after some sustained pressure, Man of the Match, JG Gilomee, barged his way over for the first of his 3 tries on the day.
Captain Noel De Villers started to direct proceedings with our forwards gaining dominance and we exploited this throughout the match scoring a total of 3 more tries off driving mauls JG Gilomee x 2, Maurice Reid x 1
The backs contribute the first try with a brilliant long range effort off a great take from Mzewenele Zito off a Belhar kick-off which allowed the pack to set a drive. Scrumhalf Slatem broke finding Martin Du Toit who jinxed his way through 2 defenders before his perfectly timed pass found a flying Terry Jacobs who outstripped the defence to score.
Captain Noel de Villers rounded off after another long range effort with some great support lines and a lovely dummy at the end to dot down, which was the final nail in the coffin (44-8).
Hammies let in a late consolation try to end the day 44-13. This win was the tonic needed for the boys to boost their confidence. Five log points was our reward for a good day out and put us in 5th position going into the second round. We are only 5 points behind Maties so it will prove to be an interesting second half of the season.
Our next game is against pacesetting SK-Walmers who have played 11 games compared to our 9 and are on a high sitting on 38 points. We have a bye this weekend but are back at home to face SK-W on the 9th of July.
Tries for Hammies: JG Gilomee 3, Maurice Reid 1, Terry Jacobs 1, Noel de Villiers 1
Conversions: Ian Coetzee 4
Penalties: Ian Coetzee 2
SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match: JG Gilomee
Biggest Hit: Gareth Rowe
1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2011-06-18 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 27 | Durb-Bell 34
Match Report
Hamiltons stuttering season continued on Saturday when we hosted Durb-Bell at Stephan Way in our last home game of the first round.
With much at stake, the players were focussed on getting us back on the winning track. After absorbing an early onslaught, we created a great try after some fine handling by Scrumhalf, Liam Slatem, and wing, Dane Johnson, to set up a ruck on the right hand touch line. We recycled quickly for centre, Noel De Villiers, to unleash Alshaun Bock, with a perfectly timed pass down the left to score in the corner.
The halfback combination of Liam Slatem and Martin du Toit is proving to be an ever-improving pairing with the outside backs starting to find the space that has eluded us so far this season.
Durb-Bell bounced back with a try of their own to take a 10-5 lead, but a moment of anticipatory brilliance saw Liam Slatem intercept from a Durbell scrum in our 22, and sprint the length of the field to score, giving us a 12-10 half time lead. This happened in spite of playing 10 minutes with 14 men.
Flanker, Bennie Adams, was having a stormer, carrying and linking with his backs and it looked as if we were on our way. Another perfectly timed inside ball from Noel de Villiers to fellow centre, Claude Burger, set him off on a 60 metre solo effort were he left would-be defenders for dead to touch down under the uprights. Ian Coetzee converted to give us a 19-10 lead.
So how is it possible that we managed to lose from this position again? We again were the masters of our own downfall with a combination of poor decision-making, execution and slipped first time tackles, leaving us chasing after Durb-Bell had struck off a counter attack, and Prinsloos boot had sent home another penalty to give them a slim 20-19 lead.
Durb-Bell increased the tempo and with us struggling to win lineout possession to launch attacks off, they forced us to play from within our own territory. Poor handling and misdirected passes instead of holding on to possession resulted in intercepts and Hammies having to defend. They scored again making it 27-19 and we were chasing. A penalty from Coetzee clawed back 3 points to bring us to 27-22 with all to play for.
Durb-Bell pressed on and with 10 minutes to go scored through Batt to go up 34-22. This seemed to awaken the home team and after a lineout drive and 5 more phases, De Villiers found Burger out wide to touch down for his second of the day and our bonus point try. The conversion was missed and we pressed on playing for a potential draw, but after numerous attacks and pounding on their try line we knocked on in the 6th minute of extra time.
This team has immense potential and with us starting to score the tries that we know we can in the past 3 games, the second round looks to be an exciting one with potentially 5 teams all within striking distance of the top.
Thanks for the support from Hamiltonians. We will carry on working and will ensure that we are right up there come September.
Tries for Hammies: Liam Slatem 1, Claude Burger 2, Alshaun Bock
SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match: Christo McNish
Biggest Hit: Claude Burger
1st XV vs SK-Walmers on 2011-06-11 15:30:00 @ The Track
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 25 | SK-Walmers 45
Match Report
It was not a good day at the office for Hammies as SK-Walmers produced some scintillating rugby in the first 20 minutes, and we found ourselves on the back foot 21-0 down after 3 converted tries.
Yet again we proved to be our own worst enemy with poor handling costing us. We fought back through a great try off a set scrum by Liam Slatem after Morne Botes had broke brilliantly to offload setting him off on a 40m dash to score under the sticks.
A further 2 penalties by Lionel Cornelius saw us go into the break with the score 21-13.
The second half started as the first with some poor first time tackling and ill-disciplined defense allowing SK-Walmers to score 3 soft tries, something that will be addressed as this is not the norm.
We had opportunities for a further try by Morne Botes off a 5 metre scrum and a great try by centre, Noel De Villiers, gave us a hint of hope, but to come back against a highly motivated SK-W at The Track was always going to be difficult.
In the end, SK-W deserved their victory and effectively ended reaching our first round goal of qualifying for Club Champs.
With 2 more games left in the first round, we need to refocus and ensure that we set our sights on the Super League A.
Tries Scored: Liam Slatem, Noel de Villiers, Morne Botes
Conversions: Lionel Cornelius 2
Penalties: Lionel Cornelius 2
1st XV vs Villager on 2011-06-04 16:00:00 @ Brookside
WON Hamilton 1st XV 30 | Villager 6
Match Report
We did the job and got our 5 points at Brookside. In fact we started off like a house on fire. An early Jano van Zyl penalty was followed by an fine Alshaun Bock try, which Jano van Zyl also converted. Alshaun was also involved in the next try, when he fielded a kick on the run inside his own half and took on the opposition. An inside pass to Benny Adams was finally off-loaded to Liam Slatem for an unconverted try. Hammies were playing some lovely rugby, moving the ball from wing to wing with some powerful forward breaks in the middle of the park. Props Attie Winter and Tiaan de Kock in particular were playing well in the loose, and it was fitting that a 30 yard touchline break from a lineout, by Winter showing great pace, was popped up to De Kock to make the score 20-0, and only 25 minutes gone
It looked as if we were going to run away with this one. An easy penalty for 3 points was rejected even though we still had 50 minutes to score our bonus point try. We failed to score and Villager cleared the danger. We came back onto the attack and then turned down another easy 3 points and again lost possession and the danger was cleared. When Villager gave away another penalty, and conceded a yellow card, in the dying minutes of the half we again rejected the 3 points and took a tap penalty. When we gave away a penalty close to the Villager line that was that for the first half and we turned around exactly where we had been 15 minutes before, 20-0 ahead.
The second half was a different story, with Villager dominating. In fact both halves were played mainly in the same part of the field. Villager pressure won them an early penalty to narrow the gap. When we next won a penalty in their half, we decided to go for poles, although it was way out on the left wing. Why now, after turning down three sitters. We missed the kick, but Villager didnt when next offered the chance, so the gap was down to 14. The whole momentum of the game had changed and we were barely in their half when Liam made a deep kick towards their line and with great following up and good support put pressure on the Villager defence. In the ensuing play we stole the ball, flicked it down the line, and Alshaun after a step inside, put Noel de Villiers over for the bonus point try. Lionel Cornelius, who had come on at fly-half, converted.
Jano went off and Martin du Toit moved to full back. A Villager kick deep into our 22 spelled danger but was brilliantly dealt with by De Villiers, covering back. The game was now well beyond Villagers reach and Anton was able to make a few more substitutions to give players a run. Another penalty to us against the run of play and Lionel again obliged with 3 points. When, in fading light, we got into their half for only the second real time in this session, referee Joey Salmans, with a series of penalties against us, obliged the crowd on the clubhouse balcony, by taking play back to the end where they could see what was going on. Despite further pressure on the Hammies line, Villager could not cross the whitewash, and that was how it finished.
Props De Kock, and Winter especially, had stand-out games, as did half backs Slatem and Du Toit. But it must be said, everyone played their best rugby in the first half and the second half was a disappointment except for the odd flash. However, as I said at the beginning, Job Done
1st XV vs Maties on 2011-05-21 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 28 | Maties 29
Match Report
In an exciting game the Stellenbosch students recorded a narrow win over a luckless Hamilton. Hammies used the wind to good effect in the first half, pinning the students in their own half with some well directed kicks.
Fullback, Jano van Zyl, kicked 6 penalties in the first half to keep Hammies in the lead.
In the second half the students started to run the ball and found their feet as they ran in a few long-range tries. In the end, Maties scored 5 tries versus the 1 of Hamilton.
SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match goes again to Jano Van Zyl who scored all his teams points, and Biggest Hit to lock forward, Mike Ledwidge
Tries for Hammies: Jano van Zyl 1
Conversions: Jano van Zyl 1
Penalties: Jano van Zyl 7
1st XV vs Victorians on 2011-05-14 16:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 32 | Victorians 31
Match Report
A penalty in the dying minutes by Jano Van Zyl saw Hamiltons scrape home against high-riding Victorians at the Stephan Oval yesterday.
More importantly for Hamilton, they scored a bonus point which could prove crucial in the long run.
The young Maties looked on course for victory when they led 31-22 deep into the second half, but Hamiltons struck back with a try be centre Jeffrey Williams, his second try for the day, which brought his team within striking distance. The try was converted by Van Zyl
The game was marked by a titanic struggle upfront where the Hamiltons pack scrummed superbly with locks Mzwanile Zito and Mike Ledwidge prominent. Behind the scrum, their backs looked threatening whenever in possession with centre Jeffrey Williams their main playmaker.
For the young Maties, captain and lock Marius Pretorius led from the front while their centre pairing of Mark Hodgekiss and Wessel Louw were prominent.
Source: Cape ArgusFinal score: 32-31
Tries for Hammies: Jeffrey Williams 2, Terry Jacobs 1, Alshaun Bock 1, Morne Botes 1
Conversions: Jano van Zyl x 2
Penalty: Jano van Zyl
SA Rugby Magazine Man of the Match: Jano Van Zyl
Biggest Hit of the Match: Not awarded
1st XV vs False Bay on 2011-05-07 16:00:00 @ Herbstein A
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 14 | False Bay 15
Match Report
Hamilton 1sts suffered a dismal loss to False Bay. Similar to the encounter in 2010, the home side came out with nothing to lose in a massive physical and confrontational match. Hammies dominated all set pieces, but could not gain front foot momentum and convert pressure into points. Poor decision-making in our options at vital stages cost Hammies dearly.
Final score: 14-15 False Bay
Tries:
JG Gilliomee 1, Andrew Coetzee 1
Conversions: Lionel Cornelissen x 2
1st XV vs UCT on 2011-04-20 21:00:00 @ Stephan A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 23 | UCT 15
Match Report
On a cool Wednesday evening Hamilton played the reigning Varsity Cup champions at our home ground. Hammies soaked up the pressure right from the start from the students who ran the ball from everywhere. The patience and all out defence paid off with Hammies scoring points every time they entered the students 22.
Although UCT outscored Hammies 3 tries to 2, there was never any doubt which the better side was on the night. For Hamilton, lock, Mike Ledwidge, and wing, Terry Jacobs, played solid games. Perhaps inspired by Springbok, Jannie de Beers drop goals against England in the 1999 RWC quarterfinal, speedster Alshaun Bock slotted a beautiful drop goal, much to the delight and cheers of the Hammies supporters in attendance. Not to be outdone by Bock, centre, Jason de Villiers, contributed a droppie of his own shortly after.
It was an exciting and physical encounter from start to finish which showcased the high calibre talent in the 2011 Western Province Super League A competition.
Final score: 23-15
Tries for Hammies:
Benny Adams 1, Terry Jacobs 1
Ian Coetzee: Conversions x 2, Penalties x 1
Drop goals: Alshaun Bock, Jason de Villiers
1st XV vs Helderberg on 2011-04-16 16:00:00 @ CT Morkel
WON Hamilton 1st XV 36 | Helderberg 29
Match Report
A characteristic southeaster dominated proceedings with Hamilton having the benefit of the wind in the first half. Hamiltons forwards dominated and scored 3 tries in the first half. But in the second half, Helderberg managed to outscore Hammies by three tries to two. Hammies did however manage to score a vital bonus point try in the second half.
Hamilton Captain Francois Prinsloo and full back Ian Coetzee were outstanding on the day, with Prinsloo earning Man of the Match
honours.Final score: 36-29
Tries for Hammies:
Solly Tybilica 2, Willem van der Wal 2, Francois Prinsloo 1 Ian Coetzee (4 conversions, 1 penalty),
1st XV vs Old Boys on 2011-04-02 14:45:00 @ Durban
WON Hamilton 1st XV 19 | Old Boys 16
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Collegians, Durban on 2011-03-30 20:00:00 @ Collegians
Hamilton 1st XV | Collegians, Durban
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Villager on 2011-03-19 16:00:00 @ Hamilton A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 39 | Villager 13
Match Report
On a hot March afternoon the 136th Derby was played at Hamilton against age-old rivals, Villager.
In a start to the game where Villagers was playing with passion and fire and Hammies was battling to find their feet, Villager took the initiative and scored first.
Hammies struck straight back from the kick-off and at half time the score was tied at 10 points apiece.
The second half was a totally different affair as Hammies was playing towards the beer tent where the Old Crocks at this stage already had a few toots. This spurred the home team to open the taps and find their straps as the Village defence fell by the way side.
Hammies managed to run in another 3 tries and score 29 points in the second half to the Villager 3 in what was a comprehensive victory for the home side.
Hammies will travel to Durban in the last week of March for their annual tour and take on Collegians and Durban Old Boys. The Old Boys game will be the curtain raiser at 14h45 to the Stormers vs Sharks game at ABSA Stadium on Saturday 2nd April.
Final score: 39-13
Tries for Hammies:
Francois Prinsloo 1, Tian de Kock 1, Ian Coetzee 1 and Clinton van Rensburg 1.
The remaining points were scored by the steady boot of Ian Coetzee.
1st XV vs Maties on 2010-09-22 17:00:00 @ Craven Stadium
Hamilton 1st XV | Maties
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Progress EP on 2010-09-20 13:30:00 @ Coetzenberg B
WON Hamilton 1st XV 76 | Progress EP 14
Match Report
Monday, 20th September
We played our Q-Final against Progress from Uitenhage. The first half, whilst being reasonably one-sided, saw Progress penetrate the Hammies defence twice for a couple of converted tries. Both were possibly open to dispute: the first looked very much like a knock-on from an attempted interception of a long Hammies skip pass, and the second, when they chipped ahead and scored, after Alshaun Bock failed to ground the ball over our line, after having all the time in the world. He claims he did, and maybe he did, but not a convincing effort. He soon made up for it, scoring in the corner after he was set speeding away with an overlap on the outside. The halftime score was 28-14.
In the second half we showed our dominance and notched up 48 points with no response from Progress. I am afraid that although Progress had a lot of zippy players, always ready to run the quick penalty they were no match for a strong running Hammies side, whose forwards looked twice their size.
We started with a slightly different team to Saturday and again gave subs a run and players a rest. Maybe some of them should have been introduced earlier, Vaughn Botha at scrum-half, for instance, who only played the last 15 minutes.
We scored 10 tries, of which Elric van Vuuren converted 8, as well as kicking a penalty. Sadly we lost Tian Fick to a bad injury only 5 minutes before the end and he may miss the rest of the tournament.
FINAL SCORE: Hammies 76, Progress 14
1st XV vs Limpopo Blue Bulls on 2010-09-18 17:15:00 @ Craven Stadium
WON Hamilton 1st XV 83 | Limpopo Blue Bulls 25
Match Report
We played our opening match in defence of our National Club Championship against Noordelike from Limpopo.
Noordelike were no match for Hammies and it is hard to gauge the strength of these up-country sides from the smaller provinces. However, I will say that they never stopped trying, even scoring a couple of tries in the second half, after one in the first. A bit sloppy on Hamiltons part, but one really should not niggle. After watching Maties score close to 100 points in the previous game in the Danie Craven Stadium, we had a big act to follow. A try in the opening minute and it was looking good. But then we had a plateau of 15 minutes where Noordelike had as much ball as us, even scoring a try. Eventually we really got going, Alshaun Bock having got his hat-trick inside 20 minutes and some really slick handling from Clinton van Rensburg saw Francois Prinsloo walk over under the posts without a hand layed on him. At half time we led 34-11.
In the second half we played some really entertaining rugby in our 12-try romp. Mzwanele Zito got a couple as did Terry Jacobs, one where he received the ball from Elric van Vuuren even after Elric had crossed the line. Elric scored a try, a penalty and eight conversions before being replaced. I think all the bench probably got a game to rest players in what is a demanding four match (if we are to get to the final!) tournament.
Everyone in the squad played well. It was particularly pleasing to see Clinton playing the full 80 minutes after his long lay-off and also to see Terry looking for work right up to the end.
The final score was: Hammies 83 - 25 Noordelike.
1st XV vs Villager on 2010-09-04 15:30:00 @ Tech-Gardens
WON Hamilton 1st XV 25 | Villager 15
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Maties on 2010-08-28 16:15:00 @ Craven Stadium
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 12 | Maties 54
Match Report
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1st XV vs Helderberg on 2010-08-21 16:00:00 @ Gardens-Tech
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 22 | Helderberg 26
Match Report
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1st XV vs Helderberg on 2010-08-21 16:00:00 @ Gardens-Tech
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 22 | Helderberg 26
Match Report
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1st XV vs NNK on 2010-08-07 16:00:00 @ Tech-Gardens
WON Hamilton 1st XV 73 | NNK 14
Match Report
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1st XV vs Victorians on 2010-07-31 16:00:00 @ Tech-Gardens
WON Hamilton 1st XV 46 | Victorians 41
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs UCT on 2010-07-24 16:00:00 @ UCT
DRAW Hamilton 1st XV 19 | UCT 19
Match Report
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1st XV vs False Bay on 2010-07-17 16:00:00 @ Oranjezicht A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 25 | False Bay 24
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2010-07-10 16:00:00 @ Durbanville
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 5 | Durb-Bell 14
Match Report
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1st XV vs SK-Walmers on 2010-06-19 16:00:00 @ Tech-Gardens
WON Hamilton 1st XV 29 | SK-Walmers 3
Match Report
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1st XV vs Helderberg on 2010-06-05 16:00:00 @ Helderberg
WON Hamilton 1st XV 15 | Helderberg 13
Match Report
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1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2010-05-29 15:00:00 @ Oranjezicht A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 29 | Durb-Bell 25
Match Report
After a very trying away game against SK Walmers last week, Hamilton returned to Oranjezicht for the game against Durb-Bell RFC. Entering the game with the knowledge that Durb-Bell possess a very powerful tight five and competitive loose trio with pacy outside backs, Hamiltons work was going to be cut out for them.
Hamilton opened the scoring with a penalty by Dustin Jinka which was followed, in quick succession, with tries from Jandre du Plessis and JG Giliomee. However, as has been the case with this team throughout last season and the beginning of this season, they allowed the opposition back in the game.
During this lull in concentration by Hamilton, Durb-Bell came back to within 3 points via a brace of tries of their own.
The half-time team talk by the Hamilton coaching staff seemed to spark them into action and a further two tries by winger Jeffrey Williams, of which one was a classic inside out on his opponent from the half way line.
Once again Hamilton took their foot off the pedal and allowed their opponents to come within striking distance yet again.
With the final score at 29-25 to Hamilton, this means Hammies have pulled themselves back to 3rd position in the Super A with a game to go in the first half.
1st XV vs SK Walmers on 2010-05-22 16:00:00 @ SK Walmers
WON Hamilton 1st XV 33 | SK Walmers 29
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs NNK on 2010-05-08 16:00:00 @ Parow
WON Hamilton 1st XV 20 | NNK 0
Match Report
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1st XV vs UCT on 2010-05-01 16:00:00 @ Gardens-Tech
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 12 | UCT 23
Match Report
After having returned to winning ways last weekend, Hamilton lost to UCT by 23-12 in a fiercely contested game. UCT who where fortunate to have back in their ranks their provincial representatives, contested the contact zone doggedly, resulting in poor quality ball for Hamiltons to attack from.
UCT where first to score off an inside pass that went astray from a Hamilton attack in their own half. The ball bounced of the leg of a defender into the hands of Mark Esterhuisen who scored under the poles, converted by Mathew Rosslee giving them an early lead.
With a strong wind at their backs, UCT kicked a long range penalty through Marcelle Bache making it 10-0, before another fortuitous bounce of the ball from a kick downfield eluded the Hamilton players and ended up the grateful hands of Sean van Tonder who was reeled in from behind, but had the support of Bache who scored under the posts and with the conversion it took UCT into the half time break at 17-0.
Hamiltons had their chances in the first half, but uncharacteristically the attempts at poles where missed.
In the second half, Hamiltons started to apply more pressure on their opponents and after a fine forward drive off a lineout in the UCT 22m area JG Gillomee scored. Dustin Jinka having come on to replace the injured Liam Slatem converted to make the score 17-7./p>
UCT scored two further penalties through Rosslee before the exiting Alshaun Bock crossed the line again to take his personal try tally to 6 in just five league games. Hamilton came back strongly in the end, but due to the injuries of key players at vital periods in the match, it meant reshuffling of players into unfamiliar positions and affecting their momentum and it was a little to late to convert pressure into victory.
This Hamiltons side has too much pride and quality and technical expertise not to stand up from the unfamiliar position they find themselves in, and convert the 2010 season into one that will be remembered for years to come.
1st XV vs Maties on 2010-04-24 16:00:00 @ Tech-Gardens
WON Hamilton 1st XV 44 | Maties 30
Match Report
After an unexpected start to the 2010 season, Hamiltons played their first game at their temporary home for the year in Oranjezicht which saw them return to their winning ways. In a match between last seasons number one and two teams, Hamiltons and Maties - it was again a scintillating affair which saw Hamilton triumph with a 44-30 victory. Hamilton, who were resplendent in their new kit sponsored by Kukri, delivered a performance demanded by the occasion. The spectacle was witnessed by a healthy crowd made up of supporters of both sides who left entertained and thrilled.
Hamilton were soon down by two penalties after committing some early transgressions within striking distance of the poles. However, the aggression and commitment shown by the Hamilton forwards soon got Hamilton on the front foot which saw them score dazzling tries through their backs.
Hamiltons kept the score board ticking over consistently through tries by Alshaun Bock (2), Jeffrey Williams, Elric van Vuuren and replacement winger, Terry Jacobs. Van Vuuren converted all 5 tries and slotted 2 further penalties with his trusty right boot. A late drop goal by Jason de Villiers took Hamilton two converted tries ahead of Maties.
As always there were tremendous individual performances, but what stood out on the day was the collective concentration and commitment of the team as a whole.
Due to the discipline shown by Hamilton defence, it took Maties until the 75th minute to score their bonus point try which was a significant feat on the day as Maties threw everything at Hamilton in the last 25 minutes.
Hamilton have had this rugby in them, it was a matter of belief in themselves to unlock their potential and produce the rugby which has become expected of them.
1st XV vs Victorians on 2010-04-21 21:00:00 @ Craven Stadium
WON Hamilton 1st XV 32 | Victorians 12
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Villager on 2010-04-17 16:00:00 @ Brookside
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 31 | Villager 38
Match Report
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1st XV vs False Bay on 2010-04-01 21:00:00 @ False Bay
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 16 | False Bay 21
Match Report
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1st XV vs Villager on 2010-03-27 16:00:00 @ Brookside A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 27 | Villager 16
Match Report
The 2010 Derby proved to be a real classic with both teams contributing to what was a highly entertaining match.
Villager started off in true underdog fashion playing with heaps of passion and getting stuck in at the breakdown. They took their early opportunities and Henoe Stofberg slotted 3 first half penalties. Hamilton absorbed a lot of pressure before they finally found their straps with Elric van Vuuren matching Stofberg slotting 3 well taken panalties.
Hamilton were first on the try scoring sheet after a good counter attacking movement saw speedsters Alshaun Bock and Terry Jacobs combine to send Jacobs off to dot down untouched under the sticks. With time running out in the 1st half Villager managed to score a well taken counter attack to go into half time 16 all.
Hamilton maintained their composure in the 2nd half combining good discipline with solid defence and managed to keep Villager off the scoreboard while they continued to mount the pressure on Villager forcing the hosts to concede penalties at the breakdown an area that was fiercely contested. Van Vuuren duly added his first to take the score to 19-16 before replacement wing Jeffrey Williams showed enormous power carrying 3 would be defenders over to put Hamiltons 8 points clear with 10 to play.
With time running out and Villager trying manfully there was no way through the wall of Hamilton defenders, Van Vuuren cooly slotted another penalty to give Hammies a comfortable 27-16 win.
With the league kicking off against False Bay this Thursday this Derby proved to be a good run out for Hamilton highlighting areas that need to be worked on but also announcing that they will be chomping at the bit for those first 5 points in the 2010 Super League.
1st XV vs Pukke on 2009-09-26 13:00:00 @ Luftus Versfeld
WON Hamilton 1st XV 36 | Pukke 34
Match Report
Hamilton became the first open club since 2001 to win the SAA National Club Champs when they beat defending champions NWU-Pukke 36-34, halftime 23-17, in a nailbiting and high-quality final played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Western Province champions and South Africas oldest club broke an eight-year stranglehold on the trophy by student teams, and in so doing capped off the most remarkable season in their 134-year history. Their hero, as he had been all week, was scrumhalf Dustin Jinka, who put in a player-of-the-tournament performance in the final with 21 points via five penalties and three conversions.
The defending champions outscored Hammies by six tries to three, but their kicking let them down and it proved to be their undoing.
Hammies opened the scoring in the fifth minute when wing Terry Jacobs put his fullback, Elric van Vuuren, away for a try under the posts. Jinka added the extra points before Pukke opened their account with a driving try by flanker Savvas Nel.
Jinka kicked a 13th-minute penalty to open up a five-point lead but the defending champions drew level with a quarter of an hour played when centre Kempie Rautenbach slipped through on the right-hand side following good work by fullback Theuns Kotze.
But no sooner had play restarted than it was Hammies who were crossing for their second try, a galloping effort by lock Ashley Down that exposed the students midfield defence to make it 17-10.
Pukke scrumhalf Andries Mahoney again levelled matters in the 25th minute with a try under the posts that Kotze converted. The try confirmed the students territorial dominance but they could not make it count, whereas the Cape side put points on the board every time they went into their opponents half.
Jinka kicked his second penalty after 32 minutes to give his side back the lead before nailing another on the stroke of halftime to open up a six-point gap.
Replacement flyhalf Liaan Scriven then capitalised on poor Pukke play from the restart to score his sides third try, which Jinka again converted, to make it 30-17 before kicking a fourth penalty to open up a 16-point gap. Pukke were not about to give up their crown without a fight, however, and eighthman Willem van de Wal dived over from a lineout penalty with half an hour to play to give his side renewed hope.
The men from Potch then narrowed the deficit to just three points when prop Stefan Bezuidenhout drove over after 62 minutes after sustained pressure on the Hammies line. Kotze converted to send the match into a tense final 15 minutes.
Jinka, who scored 29 points in his sides quarter-final victory over Pirates, made it a seven-point game from the kickoff with his fourth penalty as both sides looked for the score that would put them in control. Pukke got their sixth try with six minutes to go when replacement back Willem Barnard dived over after endless recycles on the Hamilton line, but Kotze could not convert. 36-34.
But the final drama was still to come: referee Stuart Berry gave Pukke a penalty on halfway with a minute remaining but they elected to kick for touch. With the seconds ticking away, Hammies however stole two lineouts in succession to seal the game and their most famous ever win.
Scorers:
Hamilton 36
Tries: Elric van Vuuren, Ashley Down, Liaan Scriven.
Conversions: Dustin Jinka (3).
Penalties: Jinka (5).
Team (15-1): Elric van Vuuren, Terry Jacobs, Noel de Villiers, Clinton van Rensburg, Alshaun Bock, Pieter Benade, Dustin Jinka, Francois Prinsloo, Gerhard Voss, Thabane Sangweni, Jaco du Toit, Ashley Down, Bertus Smit, Louis Loubser, Hedley Wessels. Replacements: Vaughn Botha, Liaan Scriven, Hein Gordon, Stefan Greeff, Maurice Reed, JG Gilliomee, Eric Coetzee.
Pukke 34
Tries: Savvas Nel, Kempie Rautenbach, Andries Mahoney, Willem van de Wal, Stefan Bezuidenhout, Willem Barnard. Conversions: Theuns Kotze (2).
Team (15-1): Theuns Kotze, Jacques de Kock, Kempie Rautenbach, John Roodt, Johannes Seerane, Marcel du Toit, Andries Mahoney, Willem vd Wal, Savvas Nel, Jaco Lotter, Thabo Molete, Francois Robbertse, Stefan Bezuidenhout, Stoffel Duvenhage, Alfred Wauts. Replacements: BW van Dyk, Martin Dreyer, Johan de Kock, Nelis Nel, Janis Terblanche, Wouter Watermeyer, Willem Barnard.
Free State champions Shimlas won the Plate final.
1st XV vs College Rovers on 2009-09-24 16:00:00 @ Loftus Versfeld
WON Hamilton 1st XV 34 | College Rovers 12
Match Report
Hamilton powered their way into the SAA National Club Champs final with a convincing 34-12, halftime 20-5, victory over KZN champions College Rovers in the first semifinal played at the LC de Villiers stadium on the University of Pretoria sport campus on Thursday.
The WP champions will play the winner of the second semifinal between defending champions NWU-Pukke and Valke champions Springs. The match kicks off at 18h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
The final takes place at Loftus Versfeld at 13h00 on Saturday.
Hammies confirmed their pre-tournament billing as one of the favourites for the title with a clinical and assured dismantling of Rovers, who were aiming to reach their third final in four years after finishing as runners-up in both 2006 and 2008.
Hammies scored five tries to two in a tense and intriguing match that featured a host of current and former provincial players, although the calling of uncontested scrums as early as the 56th minute robbed the match of much of its drama.
In a tense opening quarter in which both teams felt each other out like heavyweight boxers, Hammies opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a breakout try under the posts by flanker Thabane Sangwane. Scrumhalf Dustin Jinka, who scored 29 points in his teams quarter-final victory over Pirates, converted.
Rovers however responded in the 27th minute with a driving maul try by flanker Nico Claasen, after a period of sustained pressure on the Hamilton line.
The Capetonians then opened up a 12-5 lead when they scored their second try through lock Ashley Down, who galloped in from 25 metres after a Hammies counter-attack that started in their own half.
The WP champions extended their lead to 10 points when a strong midfield run from veteran centre Clinton van Rensburg netted a penalty, which Jinka kicked, before they applied the killer blow in first-half injury time.
Flyhalf Pieter Benade broke clear from deep inside his own half before putting through a perfectly weighted kick for wing Alshaun Bock to chase down. Suddenly, Rovers were needing to score at least three times to haul themselves back into the match and it proved too big a task against opponents of the calibre of Hamilton.The second half did see Rovers stage a mini-revival but Hammies forward power at scrum time, coupled with effective covering by fullback Elric van Vuuren and Van Rensburg, kept the Durbanites scoreless despite their territorial dominance.
Much of the first-half intensity was diluted however when the match had to go to uncontested scrums after Rovers lost both starting props to injury. Their woes then continued when Jordaan limped off and poor following up allowed fullback Van Vuuren set off on a mazy 50-metre run that resulted in a penalty, only for Jinka to hook his attempt.
But by this stage Hammies were merely winding down the clock to save what energy remained for Saturdays final, but that did not stop Bock from showing his great pace in scorching down the left-hand touchline for his second try after 67 minutes.
Rovers scored their first points of the second half with 10 minutes remaining through a try by replacement back Stuart Hudson, which he converted himself, but they left their rearguard action too late against a side who this year have made a habit of keeping high-quality teams at arms length.
With the sands of time running out, there was just enough time for Bock to score his hat-trick as the WP champions sent out an ominous warning to their final opponents.
SCORERS:
Hamilton 34
Tries: Thabane Sangwane, Ashley Down, Alshaun Bock x 3.
Conversions: Dustin Jinka, Elric van Vuuren, Liaan Scriven.
Penalty: Jinka.
College Rovers 12
Try: Nico Claasen, Stuart Hudson.
1st XV vs Pirates on 2009-09-22 11:30:00 @ Pretoria
WON Hamilton 1st XV 39 | Pirates 27
Match Report
Hamilton became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the SAA National Club Champs when they beat Pirates 39-27, halftime 9-20 in a tense and nailbiting quarter-final at the LC de Villiers stadium on the University of Pretoria sport campus on Tuesday.
The Golden Lions side built up a commanding lead at the break but then had to watch on as the WP champions scored 25 unanswered points in as many minutes after the restart to seal a dramatic come-from-behind victory that underlined their dogged reputation.
Hammies hero and Man of the Match was scrumhalf Dustin Jinka, who scored 29 points through a try, three conversions and six penalties.For Pirates, fullback Willem Slabbert contributed 17 points but his efforts were not enough against streetwise opponents who soaked up loads of pressure, particularly in the opening period, before running away with things after the break.
In a tense first half-hour, Pirates opened the scoring in the 10th minute when their scrumhalf JP Coppez dived over from a five-metre scrum that saw the Gauteng teams forwards gain an early psychological advantage by pushing their WP opponents backwards. Slabbert kicked the conversion.
Hamilton opened their account in the 17th minute with a penalty by Jinka after the Pirates forwards had not rolled away form a ruck near their goal line.
Jinka then narrowed the deficit to one point with a 55-metre penalty in the 24th minute before Pirates very nearly scored their second try three minutes later when wing Quinton Snyman was held up over the line after a scorching run.
Slabbert however extended the lead to 10-6 when he kicked his first penalty in the 31st minute before Hammies were given a one-man advantage when referee Stuart Berry yellow-carded lock Graham Knight for an infringement at the breakdown. Jinka kicked the 36th-minute penalty to make it 10-9.
But immediately from the restart, Slabbert scored Pirates second try with a brilliant piece of individual play. From a clearing kick, the lanky fullback gathered his own return kick to run in near the posts from 40 metres. He also converted to make it 17-9.
With Pirates dominating the scrums and referee Berry taking no nonsense at the breakdowns, Slabbert kicked his second penalty on the stroke of halftime to give the Golden Lions team a commanding 20-9 lead. But the second half was all Hamilton.
They hit back straight after the interval when Jinka landed his fourth penalty to make it 20-12 but before the referee dismissed another player, Pirates centre Clayton Kelly, for a dangerous tackle on right wing Terry Jacobs.
Jinka again capitalised with his fifth penalty on the 50-minute mark to narrow the deficit to five points before Hammies, who had stepped up a gear, took the lead through Elric van Vuuren two minutes later.
They made the most of the extra space in midfield to put the fullback away to make it 20-20, before Jinka added the extra two.
The final quarter became increasingly tense after Hammies lock Ashley Down was held up over the line in the 65th minute. But the tide had well and truly turned by this stage, and Jinka sealed the win when dived over unopposed and then converted to make it 29-20.
Jinka wasn not yet done: he landed another 55-metre effort on 70 minutes to extend the lead to 12 points.
Pirates gave their supporters hope when centre Kelly dived over in the right-hand corner for his teams first points in the second half, and Slabberts touchline conversion made it a five-point ball game with five minutes to play.
But Hammies were equal to the task and Van Vuuren jogged over for his second try with three minutes remaining to seal the win. Hamilton will face the winner of the College Rovers v Park match in Thursdays first semi-final. Kick-off is at 16h00 and the match will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Scorers:
Hamilton 39 Tries: Elric van Vuuren x 2, Dustin Jinka.
Conversions:
Jinka x 3.Penalties: Jinka x 6.
Pirates 27 Tries: JP Coppez, Willem Slabbert, Clayton Kelly. Conversions: Slabbert x 3. Penalties: Slabbert x 2.
1st XV vs Kuruman on 2009-09-20 11:30:00 @ Pretoria
WON Hamilton 1st XV 83 | Kuruman 19
Match Report
Defending champions NWU-Pukke and Western Provinces Hamilton laid down an early marker on the opening day of the 35th SAA National Club Champs at the LC de Villiers stadium on the University of Pretoria sport campus on Sunday.
Pukke beat Limpopo side Noordelikes 87-12 while Hammies almost matched them point for point with an 83-19 win over Griquas champions Kuruman.
Pirates, of the Golden Lions, the last open club to win the tournament in 2001, also got off to an excellent start with a 66-3 victory over Mpumalanga champions Middelburg.
The two sides from the Eastern Cape sides provided the big upsets of the day. Eastern Provinces Park shocked Free States Shimlas 27-26, which leaves Pukke as the only student team left in the race for the title, while Borders Buffalo beat Pretoria Police 45-19 in the main match of the afternoon.
There were also first-round wins for Springs, College Rovers and Rawsonville. The results make for an intriguing quarterfinal line-up on Tuesday, with Hamiltons v Pirates the pick of the matches.
Hamiltons 83 Kuruman 19
Wing Terry Jacobs scored four tries as WP champions Hamilton cruised to a 83-19, halftime 38-14, victory over Griqualand Wests Kuruman.
Hammies scored 12 tries to send out an ominous warning to the rest of the field, although they also let a number of try-scoring chances go a-begging with the kind of poor option taking that will be punished by better teams.
Kuruman were outweighed up front and outpaced behind the scrum, but they never gave up and were rewarded with three good tries against the countrys oldest club, something that not too many teams can boast about this year.
Scrumhalf Dustin Jinka scored 21 points from nine conversions and a penalty while left wing Stephan du Toit was rewarded for an industrious game with a brace of tries.
Kuruman got onto the scoresheet thanks to a fine try in the right-hand corner by inside centre Johan Enslin. His centre partner Nico van der Westhuizen converted from the corner flag before scoring his teams second try a few minutes later as the men from the Northern Cape showed their fighting spirit against their more celebrated opponents.
Scorers:
Hamilton 83 Tries: Dustin Jinka, Ashley Down, Francois Prinsloo, Terry Jacobs x 4, Stefan du Toit x 2, Elric van Vuuren, Noel de Villiers, Alshaun Bock. Conversions: Jinka x 9, Bock. Penalty: Jinka.
Kuruman 19 Tries: Johan Enslin, Nico van der Westhuizen, Freddie Markram. Conversions: Van der Westhuizen x 2.
1st XV vs UCT on 2009-09-12 16:00:00 @ University A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 27 | UCT 22
Match Report
1936 - Its our time
This is the 2009 Band of Brothers slogan that the team came up with in the early part of the season. Waking up on Sunday morning, the reality is - It IS our time.
73 Years it has taken Hammies to regain the Grand Challenge trophy but they have done it. You could not have scripted it better in a Holywood movie than what happened at UCT on Saturday.
Hamiltons only needed 2 log points to secure the Grand Challenge before the kick off.
The game started with Hammies dominating most facets of play. One slip in discipline gave UCT the honour of opening the scoreboard with a penalty. Hammies hit right back with a nice piece of forward play of a line out when hooker Louis Loubser went over for the first try for Hammies. Scrumhalf Dustin Jinka added the extras to make the score 7-3. UCT added another penalty to close the gap to 1 point, and throughout the game the scoreboard would have that 1 point difference many a time. Francois Prinsloo added another well worked try and Jinka added the extra 2 again to take Hammies 8 points clear at 14-6. Back came UCT to score in the corner and the trusted boot of their flyhalf Matthew Rosslee added the two extras to bring the score back to a difference of 1 again at the break. 14-13.
UCT started the second half attacking from all corners of the field spreading the ball from side to side and stretching the Hamilton defense. Credit must go to the side for brilliant defending and never did it look like UCT would breach that rock solid defense. Penalties were traded by Jinka en Rosslee to make the score 20-16. Rosslee added another penalty and it was back to the 1 point. 20-19 and at this stage the final whistle would have been a blessing - but it did not come. UCT launched an almighty attack and after seeing that they will not score nor get a penalty, Rosslee dropped into the pocket and kicked a drop goal 22-20 to sink the hopes of any Hamilton supporter in the crowd - but not the hope and belief of the 15 players on the field.
Come the day, come the hour, come the power and the glory. We have come to answer Hammies call, the oldest club of them all!
Answering that call they did indeed. The last play of the game and its a line out on the UCT 22m. The forwards drove it up, and runner after runner sucked in student defenders until the call came from out wide - from nobody else than Usain, Alshaun Bock. Noel de Villers deliverd the final pass and Bockie went over in the corner! Elric van Vuuren added the conversion with the team already celebrating on the field. Final score 27-22 and Hamilton-SP RFC wins the Grand Challenge for the first time in 73 years.
Congratulations to each and every player, coaches and manager in the Band of Brothers. A special word of congratulations to coach Anton Moolman for keeping this side together and all the hard work. The dream is now a reality! The challenge is to go out and do it again next year.
The side will be leaving the fairest Cape on Tuesday morning to represent Western Province at the National Club Championships in Pretoria. The first game is on Sunday vs Kuruman from Griekwas.
Good luck boys and make us proud.
1st XV vs Helderberg on 2009-09-04 21:00:00 @ CT Morkel
WON Hamilton 1st XV 40 | Helderberg 6
Match Report
Hammies played their second last game of the Grand Challenge in Somerset West on Friday night. It turned out to be a lovely evening and perfect weather for a good game of rugby.
Hamilton started like a house on fire when they went through multiple phases of the kick off to put Terry Jacobs in for one of the better tries this season. Elric van Vuuren added the conversion. It looked like this game would carry on where the first round game ended off, but it was not to be. Helderberg put in a massive effort and tested Hammies defense with wave after wave of good attacking play. They were rewarded with a penalty after an infringement from the Hammies players. Hammies did however manage another try by Hein Gordon and Helderberg another penalty to make the score 14-6 at the break.
In the second half Hammies ended up being their own worst enemy with some basic errors and ill discipline. Helderberg were tiring and the superior fitness and conditioning of Hamilton players started to come through. Hammies managed to score another four tries in the half without any reply from Helderberg. Second half tries were scored by Alshaun Bock, Terry Jacobs, Jaques Rossouw and Noel De Villiers. Elric van Vuuren added another two conversions and Dustin Jinka also added two conversions.
The last game of the season before heading off to the Club Championships is Saturday vs UCT at Groote Schuur. If Hammies manage to get two points out of the game they will win the Grand Challenge for the first time since 1936. The two points however will not be on the teams mind as nothing other than a victory will be good enough for this amazing side.
1st XV vs Victorians on 2009-08-29 16:00:00 @ Craven Stad
WON Hamilton 1st XV 27 | Victorians 20
Match Report
Another good win for the Hammies boys in Stellenbosch taking 5 points from the game. Victorians played as well as they could and took the early lead with a try and a penalty. Hammies scored just before half time with a charge down from scrumhalf Vaughn Botha which he collected himself to make the score 7-8 at the break.
After the break the Hammies forwards took control of the game, scrumming Vics at every opportunity and taking four tight heads in the process. The massive amount of possession gave the Hamilton team time to build phases and long passages of play. This type of play resulted in good tries for speedster Alshuan Bock and Francois Prinsloo who had an outstanding game at the back of the scrum. Conversions was added by Elric van Vuuren and Dustin Jinka who also added a penalty to make the score 22-8 with about 15 minutes to play. But such is the nature of student rugby that they never give up, and Vics fought their way back with two tries, one after a well executed maul five meters away from the Hammies line and another from an intercepted pass.
The score 22-20 with only minutes to go. Hammies again attacked, looking for the bonus point try, and Vics looking for any mistake to win the game. A penalty in the middle of the field right in front of the Vics line was awarded, and Hammies only needed to kick the goal to secure the game, but such is the nature and confidence of these men that they went for the fourth try and maximum points. Hein Gorden eventually scored to make the final score 27-20.
In the forwards lock Jaco du Toit had an outstanding game with Hein Gordon shining at the back in attack as well as in defense.
The team will be preparing for the game against Helderberg this weekend with the league drawing to a close and that trophy so close, yet so far.
Keep working guys and the reward will be worthwhile.
1st XV vs Maties on 2009-08-21 21:00:00 @ Home
LOST Hamilton 1st XV 13 | Maties 27
Match Report
Friday night saw the end of a chapter for the band of brothers of 2009 with their first loss of the season to a very determined Maties outfit. This however is only the end of a chapter and not the end of the story.
With the field being wet and heavy underfoot Maties came out right from the start all guns blazing and camped down in the Hammies half. The Hamiltons defense stood strong and the team showed great composure under severe pressure. The pressure eventually became to much and Maties scored their first try. 0-5.
Hammies bounced back straight afterwards with a penalty kick from fullback Elric van Vuuren to close the gap to 3-5. The rest of the first half saw two teams both playing a kicking game to establish good field position in the wet. Maties however scored a critical try on the stroke of half time to go into the break 3-10 up.
The second half saw a much more determined Hamiltons side trying to put some phases together, but the bounce of the ball eluded the Hammies players and Maties went to score their third try after a charge down by Hamiltons and Maties regaining possession. An added penalty saw Maties take a 3-20 lead and that was game over.
Hammies did however manage a fight back with a brilliant try by Van Vuuren after a stunning break by replacement centre Hein Gordn. Van vuuren added the extras and also a penalty to close the gap to 13-20. The game evened out after that with Hammies fighting for the draw, and Maties playing for the fourth try. A late penalty on time saw Maties kick for touch and not go for goal. This proofed to be the correct decision for them as they went to score their fourth and bonus point try. Final score 13-27.
This Saturday Hammies are taking on Vics in Stellenbosch on what should be a crunch game for the Hammies side.
1st XV vs NNK on 2009-08-15 16:00:00 @ Parow A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 43 | NNK 15
Match Report
Hamilton started their 5 week run into the end of the season with an away game in Parow versus NNK.
In the first 30 minute it was all NNK with a Hammies side that struggled to find their gears after a very successful golf day the previous weekend. NNK showed a lot of hart and spirit and came out all guns blazing. They also took the early lead with a penalty. The Hamilton machine eventually started to find its gears when lock Ashley Down crashed over for the first try after a nice passage of play in the NNK 22. Elric van Vuuren converted as usual with Hammies taking the lead 7-3. Just before the half time whistle captain Clinton van Rensburg scored the second try and once again Van Vuuren added the two extra points to take Hammies into a 14-3 lead at the break.
The two late tries in the first half sparked the Hammies team who are slow starters every week into attack mode. After half time Gerhard Voss was the first to cross the white wash of NNK. Winger Terry Jacobs kept everybody guessing with his fine foot work was next to score. He also scored the last and seventh try for Hamilton to top off a great game. As usual Alshaun Bock scored a try and JG Gilliomee, replacement hooker who always makes an impact when coming onto the field, scored the next try. Van Vuuren and Pieter Benade both added a conversion to give Hammies 43 points. NNK however never gave up the fight and scored two late tries to make the final score 43-15. Another good win and 5 points in the bag.
Outstanding players were, Terry Jacobs in the back line and flanker Gerhard Voss as always in the pack.
This week the University of Stellenbosch are coming to Green Point for their rematch after the first round loss. It should be an epic battle with the Hammies team wanting to build on their unbeaten record and the students from Maties wanting to fix the wrong of the first round.
The game is on Friday night at Hamiltons at 21h00.
1st XV vs Kraaifontein on 2009-08-05 21:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 84 | Kraaifontein 0
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2009-07-25 16:00:00 @ Durbanville
WON Hamilton 1st XV 26 | Durb-Bell 22
Match Report
Following the Hamilton first team around as a supporter is surely not for the faint hearted and if you want to get old faster that normal they are just the team to be associated with.
What a cliffhanger and what a game of rugby. Hamilton made one of their best starts with some very good defense and solid attack play, but looking at that, nobody knew what the end would hold. Hammies opened the scoring with fullback Elric van Vuuren crossing the Durb-Bell whitewash first. 5-0 with Hammies in the lead. Durb-Bell came back with some strong attacking play, especially with their backs linking nicely with the loose forwards. The Hamilton defense were holding strong and a lone penalty was all the men from the north could squeeze out of their countless visits to the 22 of Hamiltons. 5-3.
Hammies added another two tries in the first half with hooker Louise Loubser intercepting a wild pass and scoring and another by Pieter Benade coasting in for an easy try. Van Vuuren added the extras for both tries to take Hammies to the break 19-3 in the lead.
After half time Durb-Bell came out playing like a team possessed. Putting the Hamiltons defense under a lot of pressure, Durb-Bell scored three unanswered tries to take the lead 19-22. With 13 minutes on the clock and Hammies under pressure replacement loose forward Ashley Down got what seemed to be a harsh call from the referee and received a yellow card. That surely must have been it according to the men from Durb-Bell. Both teams now playing for the fourth try, and Hammies looking to grasp a win from the jaws of defeat meant the rugby being played was of the most entertaining the whole year. When Down reappeared on the park there were 3 minutes of playing time left. It was then that the side only clicked into gear. For the first time in the game, Hammies strung together a set of phases, looking after the ball like gold. This passage of play seemed to be what they needed the whole game, and Ashley Down redeemed himself after the card when he went over the line with time almost gone. Van Vuuren added the conversion. 26-22 and another last minute victory and bonus point for the warriors of Sea Point.
All credit must go to Durb-Bell and the manner in which they came out fighting in a awesome game of rugby. If they keep playing like that they surely will surprise some of the top table sides in the weeks to come.
1st XV vs Villager on 2009-07-18 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 36 | Villager 17
Match Report
It was the third and final time in 2009 that the two oldest clubs logged horns once again. Hamilton coming back from yet another two week break started the game with a bang when 8th man Francois Prinsloo sprinted over the Villager try line in the first minute of the game. Elric van Vuuren once again added the extra two points. This sparked the Villagers team into gear and they camped in the Hammies 22 metre area. Hamilton looked rusty after the break and Villager took every opportunity that came their way, kicking a penalty and scoring a try to take the lead 8-7.
Hamiltons replied with a brilliant try from captain Clinton van Rensburg and once again fullback Elric van Vuuren added the extras to take Hammies back into the lead 14-7. This however did not stop the Villagers team from trying their all in attack, and unforced penalties and a yellow card on the Hammies side saw Villagers kick another two penalties to draw the game at 14 all at the break.
Both teams looked ready to take the game away from one another after half time, but it was the Hamilton boys who eventually found their rhythm after an exchange of penalties when Maurice Reid scored to take the score to 24-17. Van Vuuren adding the extras again.
From then on in it was a Hammies team hungry for the bonus point and Villager hanging in for dear life. Hamilton dominated the possession for the rest of the half and scored a further two tries through new fly half Pieter Benade and another try for Francois Prinsloo. Van Vuuren converted one of these to make the final score 36-17.
Clinton van Rensburg and Franscois Prinsloo were outstanding for the home team and showed a lot of class an experience.
This coming Saturday it is the rematch with DurbBell and the Hammies pack of forwards sure have a point to prove after the first encounter at the beginning of the season.
The game will be played at DurbBell at 16h00.1st XV vs SK-Walmers on 2009-06-27 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 38 | SK-Walmers 30
Match Report
Hamilton entertained the boys from the Bo-Kaap SKW on Saturday the 27 June in a local Green Point derby. The match did not live up to the prematch predictions of the Hammies boys dominating and winning easily but rather proved to be another nail biter with this one going down to the wire.
Hamiltons started off well dominating the set phases and put themselves into good attacking positions 5m from the SKW try line. These opportunities were wasted with the visitors turning the ball over and scoring 2 long range counter attacking tries. This score had their supporters in full voice and they had surged to a 14-0 lead in no time. The suggestion of an upset spurred SKW on and 2 penalties took them to a 20 nil lead with 10 minutes in the first half to play.
Clinton van Rensburg scored a good individual try with a nice switch with his flyhalf Liaan Scriven. He wrong footed 3 would be defenders to score near the posts. Dustin Jinka converted to make it 20-7. No sooner had Hammies started their comeback when they were pinned for not rolling away and the SKW flyhalf Naas Prinsloo punished the home team taking us in to the half time break 23-7.
Hamilton kept their composure and started the second half with a more disciplined, structured display which resulted in flanker Maurice Reid running a great support line to score an unconverted try and kick start the fight back. Somehow in this script Hamilton proved to be their own worst enemy by allowing SKW to score another long range try taking them into what seemed to be an unassailable lead 30-12.
The Hammies cog started to kick in and the better conditioned side started to dominate the contact areas Jinka scoring 2 tries of which one was converted to take the score to 30-24 with 15 minutes to play. By this time the super subs had been unleashed and Vaughn Botha scored the vital try after charging down an attempted clearance. The conversion by Elric van Vuuren put Hammies up for the first time with 10 minutes to play.
The home side now had the wind in their sails and with their pack in total dominance replacement flyhalf Jacques Rossouw started to take the game onto the advantage line streching the SKW defence. The crack finally opened and the replacement pivot waltzed over for a converted try.
This sealed the victory and 5 points for the current log leaders while SKW might rue what might have been lamenting the fact that they go home empty handed.
Our side has once again shown the character that has pulled them through the season to date, 8 more league games to go. Come down and watch at your own peril its always a heart stopper when the red black and yellow take the field.
See you in 3 weeks when we take on the old foe Villager at Hamiltons.
1st XV vs Helderberg on 2009-06-06 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 70 | Helderberg 0
Match Report
This was the last game of the first round in the Grand Challenge for Hamiltons. After two nail biting finishes in the last two weeks versus Stellenbosch and UCT this was a weekend in total contrast.
The Hammies boys game out with all the artillery and literally blew Helderberg away right from the word go, and by doing that, cement their place at the top of the table half way through the season, and so securing the rights to represent Western Province at the National Club Championships.
Back to the game.
Hamiltons just had to much shooting power for the men from the Somerset West. The game and especially the breakdown was fiercely contested, especially in the first twenty minutes, but the difference proofed to be the superior back line of Hamiltons.
In total Hamiltons scored 12 tries and kicked 5 conversions to take the final score line to 70-0.
The 70 points was made up as follow:
Tries:
Alshaun Bock x 2, Hein Gordon x 2, Elric van Vuuren x 2, JG Giliomee x 1, Franscois Prinsloo x 1, Wilfred Pieterse x 2, Noel de Villiers x 1, Liam Slatem x 1Conversions:
Elric van Vuuren x 5
The first team squad is taking a break this week to be fresh for the preparation for the second round, but the action at Hammies does not stop.
Thursday, 11 June Hamilton Invitation side play against Dublin University at 7 pm.
Come down, have a beer, and support our club!
1st XV vs FNB UCT on 2009-05-30 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 30 | FNB UCT 26
Match Report
After the emphatic win over the University of Stellenbosch it would be difficult to believe that such drama can reply itself two weeks in a row. But such is the competitiveness and the nature of the Grand Challenge that everything and anything is possible of any given Saturday. Varsity pitched up at Hammies with an outside chance of making it to the top of the table at the end of the first round needing 5 points from this fixture. That only meant one thing: The students were going to play the game they know best, and spread the ball from side to side playing attractive running rugby into the wind in the first half.
It was scrumhalf Justin Jinka however that opened the scoreboard with a penalty for Hamiltons. It was not long before Varsity struck back and scored two tries in succession to take the lead 3-10. It looked like it could be a long day at the office for the men from Hamilton, especially playing with the strong breeze in their backs, but such is the nature and make up of the side that they never give up and never surrender. Hooker Louise Loubser crossed the chalk on the Varsity side to close the gap to 8-10 and just before half time Jinka slotted another good penalty to take Hammies into the lead at the break 11-10. Does that score sound familiar?
After the break the Varsity boys came out all guns blazing looking to use the wind to good effect, plying for the corners and taking all their chances with two penalties to take the lead back and taking the score line to 11-16. Hammies did well to defend their line and try scoring machine Alshaun Bock who came onto the field as replacement scored again for the red, black and yellow to level out the sores at 16 points apiece. Another cliff-hanger in the making versus a student side? Varsity went on an all out attack of the Hammies line and managed to get another penalty and score a brilliant try in the corner off turnover ball to go 10 points clear 16-26 with 10 minutes on the clock left. Surely varsity thought they had the game sown up and would be looking at the extra try to give them the bonus point, but the men from Sea Point do not know the meaning of the word defeat, and the saying It is not over till the fat lady sings or in this case It is not over till the Hammies men are done finds new meaning. Winger and try scoring hero from the Maties game Terry Jacobs stepped up to the plate and sored under the sticks with 6 minutes on the clock left. Elric van Vuuren added the extra two points with a hasty drop and that took the game to 23-26. This team is at its most dangerous when they can smell a victory and with belief and self-confidence attacked full on, as did the Varsity side. One team looking for a win and one for the bonus try. Stressful rugby indeed. But the dangerous Alshaun Bock proved to be the man to score the winning try with Van Vuuren adding the extras to take Hammies to the lead 30-26. Surely time was up and Hammies once again did the impossible, grasping a victory and a bonus point from the jaws of defeat. The referee however opted for one more kick off, and varsity threw everything plus the kitchen sink at the Hamilton team. The dream season seemed to be shattered when UCTs dangerous fullback breached the defence from the Hammies team, but a superb tackle by replacement centre Jacques Rossouw took him into touch and with that the final whistle went.
Another heart stopping match and victory for Hamilton. This takes them to 8 victories on the trot in the Grand Challenge and 12 out of 12 for the season.
Still 5 points clear of Stellenbosch on the log and Helderberg left to finish the first round of the season. Can this team finish the first round unbeaten, and so qualify for the National Club Championships in style?
To find out, be there this Saturday @ 16:00.
1st XV vs FNB Maties on 2009-05-23 16:00:00 @ Craven Stadium
WON Hamilton 1st XV 26 | FNB Maties 25
Match Report
Hamilton took the N1 to Stellenbosh on what turned out to be a day that might as well have played off on a movie screen somewhere in America. It was the two top of the table teams taking each other on head to head in a clash of the titans.
Hamilton opened up the scoring with two penalties from scrumhalf Dustin Jinka to take the lead 6-0. It was not long before Maties struck back with a try from deep in the Hammies half to take the lead back. This was to set the tone for the rest of the game and the drama that was to come. Hammies scored their first try when lock Niekkie Viljoen combined with speedster Alshaun Bock to take a quick throw from a line out to run 40 meters to take the lead back, 11-10 with the pressure building just before half time. Maties struck back just before the break with a well worked try to lead 11-17 at the break.
After half time both teams came out to play a game of rugby that showed that club rugby in the Western Cape is alive and well. Jinka kicked another penalty for Hammies to close the gap to Maties within three points. The men from Stellenbosh then kicked into gear scoring a penalty and a try to take the lead 14-25 with 20 minutes left on the clock.
It is then that the passion and camaraderie of the men from Sea Point started to show. Hammies put everything they have got into the last 20 minutes attacking the Maties line with wave after wave of runners eager to score. Hein Gordon managed to score another try, receiving the ball from Liam Slatem after a great offload by Alshaun Bock in the contact. That gave the Hammies boys a sniff of victory with the score 19-25. The bench from Hamilton started to kick into gear and super subs Terry Jacobs and Liam Slatem started to hit the gaps in the Maties defense with regularity. With the clock showing 51 minutes gone in the second half after a bit of a hold up for injury and the Maties forwards camping on the Hammies try line it was ultimately Slatem and Jacobs with fullback Elric van Vuuren that kicked after a quick tap penalty to run the length of the field for that winning try by Terry Jacobs. The score 24-25 and up stepped fly half Karlo Aspeling to kick the winning conversion. 26-25 for Hamilton RFC and a game surely for the memory bank.
This week it is UCT at home for the Hammies boys and needing 6 points out of the next two games to qualify for the National Club Championships, the table is set for another thriller in the Grand Challenge of 2009.
1st XV vs NNK on 2009-05-16 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 15 | NNK 0
Match Report
It is not that often that the weather bureau is spot on, but on Saturday the weatherman got it right. On a day better suited for staying in bed and the weather not far off that found in the Bearing Sea, Hammies and NNK to the field to do battle. NNK all fired up after their surprise loss to Helderberg had it all to do and Hamiltons wanting to stay ahead of the chasing Maties team made for a hard fought battle in the wet.
Hammies had the icy gale force wind in their favour in the first half and dominated territory and possession, but NNK muscled up with some extra ordinary defence. As good as Hamiltons was in the scrums, so bad were they come line out time. Wrong options and a slippery ball made that Hammies could not use the wind to their advantage and only turned 5-0 up at the break, courtesy of a try by scrumhalf Dustin Jinka.
Going into half time the NNK team where clearly in the better mood with a quiet confidence among them. But the men from Hamilton pulled ranks, and coach Anton Moolman and captain Clinton van Rensburg laid down the law.
Start of the second half and the Black, Red and Yellow machine kicked into gear. The Hammies forwards started to run off their half backs and tested the NNK defence to the limit, who finally gave way to Tyrone Holmes diving over for the second try of the match. Fly half Karlo Aspeling did his best to convert into the breeze but his kick ended up more like a shot at Milnerton Golf Club in the middle of summer with it ending up on line, but way short.
The Hammies attack did not stop there and Holmes got his second try after a penalty 5 yards away from the NNK line and a perfectly worked move by the Hamilton forwards. 10 minutes on the clock left and Hammies started to chase that elusive bonus point, but NNK would not hear any of it. They camped down in the Hammies 22 and it was time for the men from Sea Point to make some tackles. The defence held out and the final score 15-0. Credit to the NNK team who never said die after a testing season for them so far.
Forwards that stood out was 8th man Gerhard Voss who played his usual outstanding game and also Pierre Bouwer who made telling tackles in mid field as a tight forward. Dustin Jinka controlled the game from number 9 and captain Clinton van Rensburg showed all his experience in controlling a tight game in the wet from centre.
Hamilton now take a 2 point lead into the battle with Stellenbosh next week at Coetzenburg. It sure feels like Deja vu for those of you who can remember just a few months ago at the end of the 2008 season. Will there be a different result on the cards this week?
1936 - It is our time!1st XV vs SK-Walmers on 2009-05-09 16:00:00 @ The Track
WON Hamilton 1st XV 39 | SK-Walmers 14
Match Report
After a few weeks of wet weather games Hamilton took the short walk over to the Green Point Track to play SK Walmers on what seemed to be an almost perfect late Autumn Saturday afternoon. With the crowd rumbling and in the shadow of the new stadium the game got of to cracking start with Hammies dominating the early physical exchanges. Hamilton started where they left off the previous week against Villager and played some superb structured rugby, while the SK side was reduced to scraps, which they used to good effect in running back everything at the Hammies defence with no fear.
Alshaun Bock and Tyrone Holmes managed to cross the white wash on the SK side before half time with Elric van Vuuren adding one conversion and a penalty to take Hammies into the lead 15-0, but a brilliant break by Zahier Rylands saw them coming right back into the match at half time with the score at 15-7. SKW must have thought that they could pull off a surprise win on their home field and make it three wins in a row, but the warriors from Hamilton had other ideas. A few strategical replacements by coach Anton Moolman in the front row made a big impact and the Hammies machine fired into second gear after the break. Four tries were scored by the Hamilton team after the break as the game slipped out of the SKW grasp. Tries were scored by Alshaun Bock, Elric van Vuuren, Francois Prinsloo (his first touch of the ball) and Maurice Reid with fly half Karlo Aspeling adding two more conversions. SK did manage to score a superb running try late in the game to make the final score 39-14 at the end of the game. All in all a very entertaining rugby game. This takes the 1st XV 3 points clear of the log.
Outstanding players for Hammies were loose head prop Pierre Bower who made some big hits in the mid field and also Karlo Aspeling who commanded the game from the back of a dominating pack.
Coming up this week is NNK at home on Saturday.
1st XV vs Villager on 2009-05-01 16:00:00 @ Brookside A
WON Hamilton 1st XV 37 | Villager 11
Match Report
On the 1st of May, workers Day for the country, the men of Hamilton and Villager went to work in a Super A fixture.
Villager looked determined after their devastating loss at Derby Day and came out firing in the League rematch.
Hamilton took the early lead through a penalty from full back Elric van Vuuren but Villager hit straight back scoring a try out of broken play. Villager extended their lead through a penalty to take the score to 3-8.
This seemed to spark the Hammies boys into gear and flanker Maurice Reid scored a brilliant try after a devastating sniping break by winger Alshaun Bock. The teams traded penalties to lock the game at 11-11. Just before half time Hammies took the lead through a try scored by Elric van Vuuren. He also converted his own try and Hamilton went into the break leading 18-11.
A half time chat by the coaching staff made all the difference and the Hammies men started playing some well organized structured rugby, building on the phases and scoring well worked tries. The men from Brookside fought bravely but could not breach the Hammies defence and Hamilton scored 19 unanswered points, which include 4 tries earning Hammies the bonus point. Tries in the second half were scored by Alshaun Bock, Clinton van Rensburg and Liam Slatem. Slatems try in particular was a fantastic individual effort, sniping around the fringe of a ruck he found the hole and exploited the space with a devastating turn of speed to leave the Villager defense in tatters with a jinking 60m effort. Coversions were added by Elric van Vuuren and fly half Karlo Aspeling
The team from Sea Point look like they are building into a formidable unit, but only the future will tell.
Outstanding players for the team on the weekend were flyhalf Karlo Aspeling and Alshaun Bock on the wing while in the pack hooker Louis Laubser and Maurice Reid had strong games.
This week it is SK Walmers.
1st XV vs Steinhoff Vics on 2009-04-25 16:00:00 @ Home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 11 | Steinhoff Vics 10
Match Report
On an afternoon where rugby boots and scrumcaps could have been swapped for flippers and goggles Hamilton hosted Vics from Stellenbosch.
The weather equalled things up in a tightly contested affair. After dominating most of the first half exchanges Vics failed to capitalize and score points when in the Hamilton 22. Hamilton on the other hand took the lead with their first visit to the opponents 22 when fly half Liaan Scriven executed a very good drop goal on a very wet pitch. Hammies went into half time in the lead with six points, courtesy of a penalty by full back Elric van Vuuren
After half time the Hamilton defence was pushed to the limit and Vics eventually scored after a misunderstanding at the back from the Hammies defence. Vics also added a penalty to their score to take the lead 10-6. Hamilton never gave up and kept on attacking and finally broke the Vics defence when Vaughn Botha put speedster Alshaun Bock away for a well worked try in the corner.
Hamilton dominated most aspects of set piece play with Jaco du Toit doing great work in the lineouts and the pack scrumming well as a unit. The back line defence was exceptional under the guidance of Vaughn Botha at scrumhalf who had an outstanding game.
This week it is the rematch with Villager at Brookside, and be sure that the men in the Dirty Whites will have a lot to prove to try to rectify the Derby day result.
1st XV vs Kraaifontein on 2009-04-18 16:00:00 @ Kraaifontein
WON Hamilton 1st XV 70 | Kraaifontein 29
Match Report
Hamilton RFC travelled all the way to Kraaifontein for the second game of the Super A season in 2009. A very determined Kraaifontein started the game full of hope and took the lead in the first minute with a long-range penalty. This started the spark in the Hamilton team and Hammies started to use the solid platform their forwards were setting to score 6 tries in the first half. Kraaifontein also did manage to cross the Hamilton line for a well-worked try.
Try scorers in the first half for Hamilton were:
Alshaun Bock (2), Francois Prinsloo (2), Hein Gordon, and Liaan Scriven.
Elric van Vuuren added all the extras with the boot to make the score at the break 42-8 in the favour of Hamilton.
The second half saw a Kraaifontein side that never said die and started to run at the Hamilton defense. Three slipped tackles later and the Kraaie have scored three tries, giving them the bonus point for tries scored. Captain Francois Prinsloo laid down the law to the men from Green Point and they started to lift their game again. In response to the three tries that Kraaifontein scored in the first 25 minutes after half time, Hammies launched a blitzkrieg on the Kraaifontein try line crossing four times.
Tries in the second half for Hamilton by:
Tyrone Holmes, Terry Jacobs, Gerhard Voss, and Ashley Down.
The extras were added by fly half Liaan Scriven. The final score 70-29.
All in all a very impressive win by the Hamilton outfit.
Outstanding players in the side were Ashley Down, Tyrone Holmes and also Jacques Rossouw.
1st XV vs Durb-Bell on 2009-04-04 16:00:00 @ home
WON Hamilton 1st XV 11 | Durb-Bell 10
Match Report
Hamilton took on a very determined Durb-Bell outfit in the first league game of the season. On a blistery sunny afternoon the battle began in all earnest. Hamilton had the wind in their favour and made good use of it in the first half with fly half Clinton Prinsloo probing for the corners with his big boot. Hammies used the territorial advantage and forced an early penalty which Prisloo turned into three points.
Durb-Bell scrum started to put serious pressure on the Hammies forwards who still looked tired after the tour to Durban and subsequently battled to supply good ball for the backs to attack from. Hammies did however manage to get the ball wide to winger Alshaun Bock on one occasion from a solid scrum. This led to Bock putting a kick through for lock Mzwanele Zito to dive on for the five pointer. The conversion by Prinsloo was unsuccessful. That took the score to 8-0 at the break.
The howling wind died down in the second half, but the same could not be said from the Durb-Bell attack. They came out after the break firing on all cylinders. Camping down in the Hamilton half Durb-Bell had to come away with some points. Hamilton defense held strong and it was only after a great break and chip by the Durb-Bell fullback that they got the try, which was also converted.
Durb-Bell now with a sniff of the Hammies try line chalk kept on attacking and came close on several occasions, but the Hamilton defense, led by captain Clinton van Rensburg and fellow centre Stephan du Toit, held strong and the best Durb-Bell could get was a penalty in the 64th minute of the game to take the lead 8-10.
This sparked something in the Hamilton attack and they produced their best attacking effort of the game, with lock Ashley Down leading from the front with a bullocking run down the middle of the field. The best Durb-Bell could do was to give away a penalty right in front of the sticks. Fullback Elric van Vuuren stepped up and slotted the kick to put Hamilton back in the lead with 13 minutes left on the clock. 11-10.
Durb-Bell attacked with one last effort but the Hammies defense kept out wave after wave of the Durb-Bell attack.
Outstanding players for Hamilton were Ashley Down and Stephan du Toit in the backline.
Hard work lies ahead for the Hammies squad over the Easter weekend in preparation for the -groot trek- to Kraaifontein on the 18 April 2009.
1st XV vs Berea College Rovers on 2009-03-27 20:00:00 @ Durban
WON Hamilton 1st XV 20 | Berea College Rovers 10
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Durban Crusaders on 2009-03-25 20:00:00 @ Durban
WON Hamilton 1st XV 27 | Durban Crusaders 25
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs Villager on 2009-03-21 16:15:00 @ home
WIN Hamilton 1st XV 60 | Villager 24
Match Report
No Match Report yet
1st XV vs San Cirano on 2009-03-14 16:00:00 @ home
WIN Hamilton 1st XV 77 | San Cirano 7
Match Report
No Match Report yet
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