By Chris Botes, Date: 19/3/13
Goodwood Rugby Club on Saturday 16 March played host to two very memorable matches. The Middelburg Tigers travelled all the way down from Mpumalanga to play against the Cape Town Buccaneers in a historic match. This was the first time in 5 years that a Northern Gauteng Club side faced off against a Western Cape Club side, and the inaugural North vs South Derby was created.
The curtain raiser was a 9’s match between a Northern Club Invitational Side (consisting of players from the Middelburg Tigers, Ermelo Tomahawls and Pretoria Tuks) and a Southern Club Invitational (Cape Town Buccaneers, Hyenas and Cape Dolphins). It was a tense match and even some board members of the provinces got involved and played! The final score was 22 – 6 for the Northern Club Invitational.
(To view all photos click on next under photo on right)
The main match between the Tigers and the Buccaneers proved to be a really tight game with the lead changing several times. Hard tackles and fast tries were the order of the day and eventually the Buccaneers triumphed with a 32 to 22 score, and this by only scoring twice in the last 5 minutes! This continues the legacy of a Western Cape Club not losing a match against a Northern Club in 25 years. The game was fast-paced and a very exciting prelude to more games in the future. At the end of the match 6 players from the Western Cape was invited to attend the SARL Students Trails in Pretoria to be eligible for selection for the squad that is traveling to the 2013 Student Rugby League World Cup.
