Rhinos take a step up

RHINOS 1 put in a spirited and much improved performance against Amanzimtoti in their second Fidelity Security Moor Cup clash at Mick Kelly Park on Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately for the home side, after throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition, they still went down 29-21.

‘I am extremely proud of all my players for putting their hands up today and putting their bodies on the line. The level of commitment shown today was unbelievable,’ said Rhinos head coach Riaan Pienaar.

The forwards secured ball at the breakdowns, dominated the line-outs with big line-out drives, with the backs producing great counter-attacking options.

But a few worrisome issues that still stuck out was the scrums and failure to shift on defence.

‘We worked hard this week on scrums and breakdowns with the forwards, so when Carel Swart scored off a line-out drive, it was testament to what we put in during the week.’

The players could count themselves unlucky with a few marginal calls from the Durban referee.

But at the end of the day, Toti did score three soft tries.

Toti went into the shed at half time 19-9 up, with the home team’s points coming from three penalties from captain Jors Dannhauser.

The second half saw the home side playing with more aggression and purpose, which resulted in tries from inside center Dean Moolman and flanker Carel Swart.

Dannhauser kicked one conversion to take the score to 21.

In the earlier game, Rhinos 2 went down 79-5.

The Rhinos teams travel to Newcastle on Saturday for their next fixture.

They will then host South Coast Warriors on Saturday, 23 April and Varsity College on Saturday, 7 May.