Last-minute penalty kick seals False Bay’s fate

Jon Harris

Knockout rugby is both heartbreaking and exhilarating, and the quarter-final of SLA2025 between SK Walmers and Motorvaps False Bay was no exception.

After 99 minutes of physical and at times entertaining rugby, the Bay seemed to be heading to the semi-finals by virtue of their third-place finish in the round robin stages. Until Walmer’s captain, Ramiz Osman, stepped up to take a long-range penalty from just short of the halfway line, the raised flags broke the hearts of the Bay folks as it sailed between the uprights.

The final score was 13-0 to the Bokaap side.

Played in brilliant sunshine, the Spring weather still carried a chilly bite, but this had no effect on the almost two thousand fans framing the pitch, in deck chairs, on the bleachers, or standing behind the advertising boards.

Led by their enigmatic captain, scrumhalf Labib Kannemeyer, the visitors knew that all they needed to progress to the next round, and they played with the confidence of seasoned knockout finalists.

The Bay, a young team of mongrels, have grown in stature as the season has progressed, and could have been considered the favourites in the buildup. After all, they had secured third place on the table, while Walmer had to wait for a final league match between Tygerberg and van der Stel-Evergreen to hear their fate.

False Bay took an early lead when Ruan van Willingh converted a penalty in the fourth minute. Fifteen minutes later, Kannemeyer levelled the scores with a penalty conversion of his own.

The Constantia outfit was full of rugby. Working off a powerful set piece, False Bay’s scrum exerted tremendous pressure on the Bokaap scrum, props Nizaar Nazier and Bornwell Gwenji dominating the men in front of them. Gwenji caught the eye as an effective ball carrier, particularly effective around the edges of the loose maul. Nazier and hooker Khamva Mgwali did their bit in the loose too.

SKW’s defense was probably the standout feature of their first half. This is not to say that their attacking play was lacking, but it is a known fact that defense is the foundation of victory on a rugby pitch, and Kannemeyer’s men did not shirk their duties in this department.

There is more than one view on how to play knockout rugby, but ultimately, a single point in excess of the opposition is all that is required. Pretty, it does not need to be. Risky is most definitely not. Occupation of the opposing half is a primary goal.

Running the ball in your own quarter is risky, especially against ball-hungry opposition such as Walmer.

False Bay was guilty of trying to run more than necessary. It frustrated their efforts, which saw them forcing their passes, resulting in the ball on the floor. When they got it right, they were breathtaking, but that is when they came up against the wall that was the SK Walmer defense. Every player, to a man, took that responsibility seriously, frustrating their opposition in the process.

With half time approaching and the scores tied at 3-all, it seemed that the second stanza would start with levelled scores…until Kannemeyer made a sixty-meter break, which ultimately led to Osman’s try, converted by Kannemeyer.

Starting scrumhalf Dylon Frylinck, whose level head was crucial in the first half, made way for Ewan Adams with van Willingh shifting alongside the scrum. His entry put the Bay backs onto the front foot, passes sticking and their pace scrambling the Walmers defense.

Yet, the Bay blight on the day, scrappy handling, saw them spilling the ball at crucial stages of phase play, and they would be pushed back into or near their own half. Yet they were relentless and kept the pressure on the visitors.

With the Ncusane brothers now introduced to the loose forwards, the pace of False Bay’s counterattack benefited from these rapid athletes. After being rebuffed by the visitors mere meters from their line, Khanya Ncusane crashed over for a try, and van Willingh closed the daylight between the teams with his conversion.

With approximately ten minutes to go, the Bay were ignited, pushing to take the result. Yet the stain on their game for the day was handling, and it continued to dog them. No player makes mistakes intentionally, but a particular spill of a ball had the crowd crying in their hands, an open line left uncrossed.

Decision-making from the sidelines is an exact science; not one spectator has ever dropped a ball, passed at the wrong moment, or made the wrong decision.

Eighty minutes of normal time drew to a close, and the teams retreated to refresh for another twenty minutes of extra time. Legs were furiously being massaged during the short break; the fact that players already substituted could not re-enter the fray as a simple substitution.

None of the thirty players on the pitch had been through one hundred grueling minutes of rugby. Fatigue was a factor, even referee Wickus Nell appeared to fight a leg cramp during an injury break.

Ninety-nine minutes of play had passed on the clock, and all the Bay needed to do was limit their errors. Again, so easy to do from the sideline, and the visitors benefited from an offside call that broke the hearts of the Bay. Osman was never going to fluff this kick, and SK Walmers, to the delight of their supporters, were joyously celebrating.

The semi-finals of SLA2025 take place at City Park on Saturday. Top-finishers Villager RFC face SK Walmers, while Hamiltons RFC, celebrating their 150th year since establishment, take on DurBell. It promises to be two enthralling battles.

• Jon Harris is a member of False Bay RFC