Empangeni sneak bonus point win
The home side came out, playing their usual structured game which resulted in 19-7 half time lead.
EMPANGENI could count themselves very lucky to get away with a 41-28 win over Unizul in their Weber Cup fixture played at Mick Kelly Park on Friday evening.
The home side came out, playing their usual structured game which resulted in 19-7 half time lead.
David de Villiers’ men produced slick ball handling, quick clean ball at the breakdown point, accurate kicking and great set pieces.
Victor Campher, Razor Msane and Clinton Woodley all crossed the chalk line for Empangeni, with scrumhalf Dirkie de Waal nailing two conversions.
Wandile Vezi dotted down for the students with Andile Myeni converting.
Empangeni radiated with confidence and decided to change their style of play, converting to a loose running game.
This benefited the Unizul outfit, who were faster and fitter than the home team.
This resulted in a huge comeback from the visiting side, with the scoreboard reading 28-19 to Unizul
Captain Myeni dotted down first in the second half for the visitors, followed by Thulani Khumalo and Sandile Mngathi.
Myeni kicked two conversions for his sides’ 28 points.
Empangeni front rower Hugo Myburgh crashed over in the corner to pull the game back to 28-24 to Unizul.
With time ticking away and the Empangeni lads looking tired and playing scrappy rugby, an upset result was definitely on the cards.
But with three lucky tries in 10 minutes from the Empangeni outfit, Empangeni managed to maintain their unbeaten record at home.
Winger Ian Petzer, Diederick Venter and Tyler van Staden all found their way to the uprights, with Campher managing one conversion.
The Unizul coach said he was very pleased with his team’s performance, but highlighted that experience and composure saved Empangeni.
