Rhinos claim bonus point victory

RHINOS 1 and 2 celebrated into the late hours on Saturday evening, after their hard fought bonus point victory over Pietermaritzburg Collegians at Woodburn Stadium, Pietermaritzburg.

This was the first victory for both sides in the premier division this season.

‘I know there is still a lot of hard work to be done, but I just want to thank the boys for their commitment and for sticking by me this season. We do not have the numbers and depth like the other premier division clubs have, but the discipline and level of respect and commitment that we have in our squad, is what has carried us to this victory this season,’ said Rhinos 1 head coach Riaan Pienaar.

Rhinos 1 claimed a 30-27 victory over the Maritzburg outfit, in a ding-dong battle that saw the local side dot down four times.

Rhinos got off to a slow start, which resulted in a soft try to the home side.

The try produced the spark needed to get the Rhino team going.

Rhinos dominated scrums, line-outs and field possession, but missed tackles kept the home team in the game.

Thulani Mdluli, Nico Prinsloo, Jors Dannhauser and Werner Smit all crossed the chalk for the Rhinos outfit, with Dannhauser kicking two penalties and two conversions.

‘I would really like to encourage the local supporters to come out to Mick Kelly Park on Saturday to back the boys against UZKN Impis, as without local support we cannot perform. We are looking to carry the confidence and momentum from this victory into this weekend’s match,’ said Pienaar.

Men of the match were Nico Prinsloo (backs) and Martin Stander (forwards).

Dominant

The Rhinos 2 team put their foot on the accelerator and never took it off, beating Pietermaritzburg Collegians 36-10.

The local side dominated all aspects of play, resulting in six tries.

Sizwe Ntuli, Thokozane Mdluli (2), Mondli Mathaba, Robin Galloway and Siyabonga Mathaba all crossed the whitewash for the Rhinos team.

Mac van der Linde managed to kick three conversions to end the score at 36-10.

Men of the match were Rambo Mbuyazi (backline) and Martin Coetzee (forwards).

Rhinos 1 and 2 will take on UKZN Impis on Saturday at Mick Kelly Park in their next fixture.

Kick off for the second team game is 1.30pm, followed by the first team at 3pm.