Raiders clinch a last minute victory over Poorte
Poorte had some time to regain their confidence again and rework their game plan during the halftime break but the visitors scored the first try of the second half through their left wing who showed a clean pair of heels to the field.
Saturday, 17 August, saw Ruimsig Stadium bustling with activity and rugby fanatics exchanging friendly banter as RotoTank Roodepoort Rugby Club hosted Raiders Rugby Club.
The supporters sang and cheered their teams on as the game started with high pressure from both sides looking to register the first points of the match.
The visitors came out with their guns blazing and made it clear that their visit was not going to be a repetition of their last encounter with Poorte.
The first half provided first-class entertainment, as both sides played hard and never held back on the breakdown. The game saw a convoy of tries from both teams, which refused to hold back.
Just before the end of the first half, Carl Mellet shrugged off a few tackles before taking a dive under the poles for an outstanding individual try.
But the visitors were not easily shaken as they replied with a try of their own through their hardworking no 6 and quickly added another try through the efforts of their lengthy no19 to make the half time score 26–42 in favour of Raiders.
Poorte had some time to regain their confidence and rework their game plan during the halftime break, but the visitors scored the first try of the second half through their left wing who showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the field.
With Poorte fullback, Terence Longworth, exiting the match early in the second half, Lux Ntsepe went into the fullback position and a new wing was introduced.
The new winger wasted no time, got stuck in immediately, and was rewarded with a typical wing try near the corner flag.
Lock forward Ruan du Toit showed his hunger once again as he went over the try-line after going through a couple of tackles.
Raiders’ defence was rock solid on the day and their game plan proved to be the best as the last try from the visitors broke the hearts of Poorte fans, and they had to watch their team suffer yet another narrow defeat.
Raiders were victorious on the day as the high-scoring match ended with the score of 54–57 in favour of the visiting side.
