The match against Langa Township proved to be far more challenging than we expected it to be- what they lacked in technical ability and organisation, they more than made up for with aggressive rucking and strong running. Coming into half time we were 7-0 up thanks to a converted try from Tom Lambourne, where he dived for the line having received the ball from Ted Cranston, but were also very lucky to have not conceded, with only a try saving tackle on the right wing from Ted Cranston preventing Langa from scoring.
The second half proved to be as tough, as the Langa players once again showed their powerful running and aggressive nature in the contact. Olaves almost conceded early on down the right wing due to a strong break from the back of a scrum by the Langa number 8, but Tom Lambourne made an aggressive tackle which saved the team from conceding again. The half backs seemed to have suddenly remembered their pressure tackling that they picked up from the infamous Mr Lake's school of hard hits. However, a left wing breakaway from the Langa winger allowed them to storm through the olaves defensive line and under the posts. The kick was unconverted leaving the score at 7-5. At the end of the game, olaves turned on the heat as the pressure from Langa massively increased. A great drive into the Langa backline from Mario lambrette caused problems for the hosts, as he then gave a silky one hand offload to sohayl ujoodia who scored in the corner. The final whistle blew leaving the final score at 12-5 to olaves. Special mentions go to the infamous halfback pairing of lambourne and Cranston for their combined try scoring and tackling ability that they seemed to take with them straight from the U15B season. Also, sohayl ujoodias try highlighted the strength of Mario lambrette and sohayl himself. In conclusion, the entire olaves team played incredibly against the aggressive and powerful side of Langa and are looking good with a 2-0 record coming into the last two games of the tour.After the game, both teams met in the dressing room for the exchange of shirts and other items between olaves and the Langa players, which showed that even after an unbelievably physical game, both sides had huge respect for one another, which was represented furthermore by both sides singing local songs. The post-match antics showed to the olaves players that rugby is a sport that can unite everyone, no matter where they are from or what ethnicity they represent, but we are all equally passionate about the sport of rugby. J.Rothwell
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