Greater Knysna downs Bitou

KNYSNA NEWS - Greater Knysna were out for revenge against Bitou in the first match of the second round of the SWD President's Coastal League when the two clubs locked horns at Loerie Park on Saturday 29 June.

Both clubs find themselves in the bottom half of the respective logs of the first and second-team divisions of the league, with Greater Knysna holding a slight advantage as both teams went into the day ahead of their opponents on the standings.

While Greater Knysna's second team was out in search of completing a season double over Bitou, the first team was hoping to reverse the first fixture's result where they lost 27-26 in Plettenberg Bay.

The second teams kicked off first, and the weather proved the perfect facilitator for entertaining rugby with not a single cloud overhead to dampen the mood. The first half of the match was a strong indicator of the hard work that has been put in throughout the season by Bitou's second team to improve on its exploits early on in the season.

A much-improved tight five and better defence saw Bitou put on a much better showing with the halftime score standing at 10-5 to Knysna. The second half was an even tighter affair as both sides could only muster a further five points each, with Greater Knysna emerging 15-10 victors.

The first teams followed on shortly afterwards in yet another tense affair with Bitou hoping to complete a season double, but an improved Greater Knysna outfit had other plans. Much like the second-team game, the first half showed signs of improvement for one side, but this time it was Knysna that put on an improved performance.

The only thing separating the two sides at halftime was a Greater Knysna penalty, with the score standing at 10-7 to the home team at the break. The second half was a sad state of affairs for both sides, as far too many handling errors, forward passes and inability to complete tackles saw a decrease in the quality of rugby played.

Despite this, Knysna found a spark late in the game to surge ahead with two tries in quick succession, but not before Bitou replied with one of their own. This wouldn't be enough for Bitou however, as Knysna emerged victorious 24-12, successfully overturning the result from earlier in the season.

In the other derby of the weekend, Knysna United took on Sedgefield Eagle Stars in Smutsville, where the home side managed to earn easy victories in both games. Eagle Stars' second team won 38-0, while the first team won 31-27.

Wandile Benuka prepares to make a pass to a team-mate.