Thanda Zululand Rhinos gave House of Paint College Rovers a huge wake up call when they the gave the 2008 Moor Cup champions a run for their money going down 26-10 in Premier Division club rugby game at Reebok Park (KP 3) last Saturday.

Both sides were badly depleted but Rhinos deserve huge credit for an incredibly passionate display showing true character under such pressure. The game did have its moments with Rovers lock Kobie du Rand outstanding in the lineouts and being awarded a fine try for his efforts. The Rovers loose trio of Eric Ngoie, Mark Els who was awarded forward of the day and Bob Bhengu worked well as a unit while among the backs Shane Spring on the wing with two beautifully executed tries was the pick of the bunch.

Rovers skipper Alistair Schwikkard scored the other try with Flyhalf Peter Grunow kicking three conversions. Rhinos wing Frans Laatz scored their only try with centre Menzi Gidi kicking a penalty and a conversion.

For both sides going forward there could now be huge bridges to cross with Rovers having lost their two key props Sean Brannigan and Richard Schwikkard in the gruelling encounter. Rhinos said goodbye to their mercurial flyhalf Ten Ten Tobezweni who left for the Eastern Cape straight after the game. Now for Rovers with the storm clouds gathering it’s do or die as Envirosan Old Boys start chomping at the bit and ready to lay claim for top honours in the House of Paint Premier Division competition.

‘Oldies’ accounted for ChemSpec Jaguars 34-3 in Sydenham while Jonsson Crusaders beat Durban Harlequins Airtron Coastal 34-24 in the other contested games while Acer Durban Collegians travelled to the capital to collect five easy log points against Maritzburg Varsity beating them in a game played as a friendly 60-0.

In the Under 20 ‘A’ Division, Rovers comprehensively retained the title and the Frank Norris Trophy for the eighth consecutive year ending their league on a high beating a hugely improved Empangeni side 24-5. The Zululand lads really do deserve credit for a truly brave performance - certainly it does look as though it all augers well for the game in at the Zululand Academy and indeed in their region as a whole.

In the other games Old Boys couldn’t have been too happy with their 20-10 win over Jaguars while Harlequins hammered Crusaders 43-6. In the remaining game Durban Collegians had an impressive 50-13 over Midlands and will be feeling pretty buoyant about their chances as they start preparing to face Rovers in the semi-final of the Basil Medway knockout competition. Rovers will now be stretched to the limit with injuries and player call ups and time will only tell to see if they can hold out for yet another two successful weeks of bruising rugby competition - the pressure is certainly on them now.

In the First Division, it looks as though Amanzimtoti will be up against Vryheid at the end of the last few rounds to see who the overall winner of the competition will be. Toti are leading the way in the South Section while Vryheid heads up the North Section. Toti had a walkover against Wentworth this last weekend while Gestetner Maritzburg Collegians went down 37-22 against South Coast Warriors at Woodburn and Hillcrest beat Durban Varsity 33-0 on the Durban Campus.

Rovers suffered their first defeat in three years in the Third Division Walker Cup competition at the hands of the Highwaymen from Pinetown, going down narrowly 14-11 but luckily managing to get a bonus point. The race for top honours here is definitely not over as the sides finish off their last few rounds

- Jos Robson - The Mercury