Unam beat Kudus to remain top

FNB Unam beat FNB Kudus 35-22 to remain at the top of the log, while there were also big wins for FNB Wanderers and FNB Grootfontein in Windhoek Lager Rugby Premier League matches on Saturday.

At the Jan Wilken Stadium at Walvis Bay, Unam maintained their unbeaten status after a hard-fought victory against a depleted Kudus side.

Despite missing 11 of their first choice players, Kudus gave an inspired performance and backed by their passionate home fans, Unam had to pull out all the stops to win the match.

In an action-packed first half, Unam scored four tries through fullback Aljarreau Zaahl, right wing Quirone Majiedt, eighthman Handre Bezuidenhout and scrumhalf Willon du Plessis, while Kudus replied with three by centre Scott Winburn, left wing Lucio Isaacs and right wing Irongwa Atshivudhi.

At the half-time break it was still anyone’s game, with Unam holding a 28-17 lead, but despite camping on Unam’s tryline in the second half, Kudus could not breakthrough.

With 10 minutes to go Unam stretched their lead against the run of play when Zaahl intercepted the ball and ran the length of the pitch to touch down, but Kudus had the final say when Isaacs went over for his second try.

Kudus’ secretary Wilfred Muller said it was a great performance by his young side.

“Our team, despite the odds, showed remarkable resilience and determination, proving that we have the depth to compete at this level. Although we grant Unam the win, we were not beaten and showed that Kudus is a force to be reckoned with. Missing our star players on the day, we were beaten by experience,” he said.

“In the second half, we camped on Unam’s try line for the duration of the half, before one mistake cost us the game, but it was a valuable lesson for our young players. We make no excuses and take the loss on the chin – it’s a valuable experience for our young lads,” he added.

The win put Unam on top of the log on 31 points, with Kudus dropping down to third on 25 points. Wanderers, meanwhile, moved into second position on 27 points after thrashing Dolphin Rugby Club 89-5 at their home ground in Pionierspark.

Wanderers dominated from the start, running in a total of 13 tries. Right wing Nandivatu Karuuombe scored three; centre Jurgen Meyer, left wing Tareekuye Tjipute, and scrumhalf Jacques Theron scored two each; and centre Danco Burger, eighthman Driaan Vorster, prop Ignis Tripodi and flyhalf Andre van der Bergh scored one each. Van der Bergh had a great day with the boot, converting all but one for a personal tally of 29 points.

Dolphin’s only points came via a try by substitute prop Warren Narib.

Grootfontein beat FNB Western Suburbs 57-28 at Suburbs Park to remain fourth on the log on 22 points.

Grootfontein’s captain hooker Wicus Jacobs had a great game, scoring two tries and three conversions for a personal tally of 16 points. Left wing Lasarus Joseph displayed great pace to score three tries, while fullback Alfred Vercuil, scrumhalf Zemuel Marais, eighthman Johan Luttig, and lock Martinus Nekundi scored one each.

For Suburbs, prop Uvatera Kaverua scored three tries and fullback Johnny Namene one, but it was a poor display, interspersed by some elementary mistakes.

At Rehoboth, FNB Reho Falcons won the Rehoboth derby after beating FNB Rehoboth Rugby Club 31-26. Rehoboth won the try count four to three, but they made too many errors and Falcons punished them with accurate goalkicking.

Falcons scored three tries through flanker Keynnen Basson, hooker Dilhon Daries and substitute back Dillon Kahmann, while Enrique Husselmann added two conversions and two penalties, and Aston van Wyk two penalties.

Rehoboth scored four tries through centre Brandon Dentlinger, left wing Khee-Shaan Beukes, eighthman Ray-Eez Feris and lock Delano van Wyk, while centre Henrique Olivier added three conversions.

Falcons remain fifth on the log on 16 points, while Rehoboth are sixth on 13.