Sasol Grip and Rip beat Bethal Rugby comprehensively during Saturday’s match.
The rugby game was called a mismatch by a lot of people and the scoreline of 65-5 (Sasol win) certainly would support this notion. But, watching the actual game I thought that Bethal deserves a lot more credit than what is given to them.
Yes, Sasol Grip and Rip beat them by a large margin. Yes, Sasol scored a massive 10 tries. This is something that cannot be taken away from Sasol. They were the best team and they showed it. Not 100% but nonetheless they showed that they were the league winners last year.
I have to first mention that I saw no foul play during the game and thought that the game was played in good spirits.
Sasol Grip and Rip played a neat controlled game with few areas to complain about. It is easy to try and find fault with teams if one has to, but I think both teams deserved praise.
The forwards from Secunda played a fairly tight game with the backline breaking through the defences of Bethal on a regular basis. The ball handling was better than expected at this time of the year with not too many handling errors.
There might have been a little too many penalties at one stage give, especially to Bethal, but even that was not to bad.
I enjoyed watching both teams play.
Also read: Afriforum secure win in water case
The defences of Sasol Grip and Rip were thoroughly tested at times and Bethal managed to score a try in the second half. A spark they dearly needed. The halftime score was 42-0, showing the dominance of Sasol Grip and Rip. The second half was a different game for Bethal. They kept on trying. As I stood behind their try line and within hearing of the players, I never heard excessive (if there is such a thing) cussing or even despondency.
Bethal can only benefit from Saturday’s game. They were their own league winners last year and will have to compete in a higher league this year where they can either swim or drown, figuratively speaking. It is their choice. Based on Saturdays game though, they are serious about swimming.
The kicking shoes for Sasol Grip and Rip were spot on with an excellent record for the day. Well done.
There were a few injuries on the field, but I had no confirmation that any were serious.
Sasol hosts Middelburg this Saturday 20 May 2023.
