Greater Knysna dims Eagle Stars' light

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KNYSNA RUGBY NEWS - In the final warm-up games before Eagle Stars make their debut in the newly renamed Super League A, they found their B and C sides outplayed by Greater Knysna at Loerie Park on Saturday 29 February.

Sedgefield Eagle Stars and Greater Knysna rugby clubs both plied their trade in last season's President's League, with Eagle Stars eventually winning the league and earning promotion to the Premier League (now Super League A).

Greater Knysna will however now find themselves playing in the First Division East after the structural reshuffle, two divisions below where Eagle Stars find themselves.

Photo gallery: Greater Knysna outplays Eagle Stars

This did not deter Greater Knysna in the slightest however, as their first and second teams took on Eagle Stars' second and third teams, with the former incorporating a few first-team players in need of some game time ahead of their league debut coming up this weekend.

The second and third teams kicked off the day's proceedings for the clubs at Loerie Park, with the game getting under way just before 15:00.

The game would be mostly dominated by Greater Knysna, being able to play the free-flowing running brand of rugby they know best. This saw them take the game to Eagle Stars, and pin the visitors on the back foot bar a late comeback by the men from Sedgefield. The good performance from Greater Knysna saw them walk away with a 27-19 win over Eagle Stars' third team.

The first and second teams then kicked off just after 16:00, and Greater Knysna was a team on a mission from the get-go, with returning flank Maxwell Kiewitz playing like a man possessed and putting in a phenomenal man-of-the-match performance. Greater Knysna powered forward in the first half, earning themselves a 17-0 lead at the break. Changes to Eagle Stars' starting XV at half-time saw a few more experienced campaigners take to the field in the second half. The changes meant Eagle Stars was able to put in a stronger performance but just couldn't do enough to defeat the hosts as Greater Knysna ended up 17-12 victors.

Eagle Stars will face the 2019 Premier League third-placed Progress in their first Super League A fixture of the year at Grassy Park in Smutsville this weekend.

Warren Oelf takes control of a lineout ball for Eagle Stars.