Saldanha RFC Outmuscles Villagers Worcester to reach Boland Top-12 final

Saldanha RFC secured their spot in the Boland Top-12 final after defeating Villagers Worcester 39-27 at Boland Stadium on Saturday.

The match began with intensity right from the start, as Saldanha's fullback Craig van Rensburg successfully converted an early penalty. Villagers Worcester used this as motivation to score their first points of the game with a smooth attacking play, allowing flanker Mario Marinus to barge over for their first try.

Saldanha responded with a try of their own, as scrumhalf Monray Jacobs quickly shifted the ball to flanker Virgel Stoffberg, who crossed the line. With 20 minutes played, Saldanha led 10-5.

Van Rensburg continued his exceptional form in the first half by collecting a high ball from fly-half Fagan-Lee Snyders in Villagers Worcester territory. He offloaded to winger Mikyle Hanse, who went over in the corner for Saldanha’s second try. Van Rensburg successfully added the conversion.

Not satisfied, Van Rensburg displayed his eagerness once again. Quick ball from a cleanout by Monray Jacobs allowed captain Samuel Greyling to receive an outside pass from Feghon-Leigh Snyders, who executed a well-placed chip kick. Van Rensburg chased and gathered the ball, scoring another impressive try for his team. His successful conversion extended Saldanha's lead to 22-5.

While many critics and supporters thought Villagers Worcester were out of the game, they showed remarkable resilience. Villagers finally gained possession deep in Saldanha’s territory, setting up a powerful driving maul, an area where they excel. A strong driving maul resulted in lock Nazeem Bam dotting down, with fullback Elton Mfundisi adding the conversion. 

A pivotal moment in the match occurred just before halftime when a Saldanha player was sin-binned. This energized the team from Worcester right from the start of the second half. Gurshwin Africa picked up the ball from a powerful scrum near the try line, narrowing Saldanha’s advantage. The continued pressure allowed outside centre Percy Basson to score, leveling the game.

Both teams’ coaching staff introduced substitutions in the 57th minute just to inject new energy into the match.

Saldanha prop Abduraghmaan Latief made use of his power and went over to put his side back into the lead, with fullback van Rensburg keeping his perfect conversion rate intact.

Villagers refused to throw in the towel and were at it once again through a driving maul, but this time a high tackle interfered with play, leading to a Villagers Worcester yellow card.

Saldanha punished Worcester for their poor discipline, and minutes later, Saldanha’s 8th-man prospect Ambijorn Vraagom powered his way over for another try. Van Rensburg added the two extras.

Craig van Rensburg was named “man of the match” after a scintillating performance against Villagers Worcester.

Villagers Worcester were not out of it just yet. A phenomenal set-play led to Elton Mfundisi being freed out wide and crossing the line.

It was a 9-point game at that stage with less than 10 minutes left to play. Saldanha picked up a red card in the closing stages of the game, but Villagers Worcester could not build on the advantage of having an extra man. In contrast, they gave away another penalty near the 80th minute mark, which Man of the Match Craig van Rensburg converted.

Villagers Worcester captain Edward Haas spoke about the result after the match. “Firstly, I want to thank our Almighty Lord for the season. It wasn’t the end we wanted, and we knew that Saldanha RFC was not going to be easy. At the end of the day, things didn’t go our way, but as always, thank you to the boys for the journey.”

In the end, Saldanha RFC proved to have too much in the locker for Villagers Worcester and marched into the final of the Boland top 12, where they will face Roses United RFC this coming Saturday at Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington.