Hands&Heart coach Peter Links and his coaching staff were all smiles after his side beat Bellville 30-22 in a Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) Super League B (SLB) clash, at the Eikendal Sports Complex, in Kraaifontein, last weekend
However, that frown will have turned at the weekend when his side ran into a formidable Violets RFC, who brought them back down to earth with a final score of 29-7 in Violets’ favour.
The matches were critical for Hands&Heart as they are desperate to make the top six sides in SLB in order to qualify for the President’s Cup and hopefully defend their title as President’s Cup champions. As things stand, they are lying in ninth position with two games to go and the majority of teams above them with a game in hand. Things don’t look too bright for the Kuils River side but they will be holding thumbs for things to swing in their favour in the final stages.
Links said last week’s victory helped his side gain a lot of confidence.
“We worked well together and played as a unit. We stuck to the plan and our forwards did the job for us in the end. I am happy about this win because it was an all round team effort,” he said.
Hands&Heart have not had the greatest of seasons, winning three and losing nine of their matches. However, they have managed to pick up 11 bonus points, which has played a major role in their season. Links said they have everything to play for in their remaining league fixtures against Young Peoples and Kraaifontein.
“After only wining two games before Bellville we realised we were in a bad spot but the bonus points we picked up along the way have helped us. But I believe these were games that we never should have lost. The President’s Cup is our motivation to perform every week. This year, we want to defend our title after beating three strong teams last year to become champions,” said Links.
* Meanwhile, Tygerberg RFC look on course for the WPRFU Super leage A (SLA) runners-up spot following their easy 59-22 win over Primrose at Rosmead on Saturday. The visitors scored nine tries to three after leading 31-10 at the interval. The Tygers exploited a lethargic Primrose defence, scoring three tries in the opening stanza of the game.
Primrose did well to restrict the half-time score to 31-10 and never gave up trying. Veteran lock Sizwe July worked hard in the tight-loose,while Tasreeq Omar was their star performer scoring a brace of tries. Centre Deon Taljaard was the main playmaker for Tygerberg, while up front, veteran prop JB van Ster was like a loose forward around the park, scoring a try in the process.
* Also in SLA, NNK went down 31-13 to UCT. The Parow visitors had the wind at their backs in the first half and they shaded the territorial advantage. Their forwards also held up well and they had a well-deserved 13-12 lead at the break. However, the Ikeys came back strongly in the second half, and used the wind to their advantage. Their forwards gradually took control up front.
For UCT, No 8 Nyasha Tarusenga had a superb outing. He had some brilliant running lines and his support play was also excellent. The best back on view for the hosts was their hard running centre, Hendrick Lategan. He was rewarded with a brace of tries.For NNK, captain Brendon Grant led by example throughout the match. Centre Graham O’Leary proved to be the danger man in midfield.
– Additional reporting Weekend Argus