KNYSNA NEWS - In their last preseason fixture, Greater Knysna Rugby Club suffered an 88-0 loss against five-time former Argentinian national champions San Isidro this past weekend.

The hosts were totally outclassed and outmuscled in all areas of the game. There were, however, moments of brilliance as the host broke the visitors' defence line with entertaining running skills with the limited ball in hand they had during the game.

San Isidro Club (SIC) has achieved a long list of titles, becoming one of the most important teams to come out of Argentina. The team also toured Great Britain and South Africa in the early 1970s, gaining recognition. 

During the 1980s, SIC won six championships. On 22 October 1987, SIC achieved a historical 22–22 draw against Australia, one of the semifinalist teams of the 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. 

Another highlight in SIC's history was in 1980 when the team defeated Fiji 28–11.

During the 2000s SIC won five titles in 11 years. Their last achievement was in the 2011 URBA championship, defeating Alumni 14–11 in the final game and obtaining the 25th title for the club.

One of their most famous former players was Ernesto Guevara, mostly known as El Che.

The hosts were totally outclassed and outmuscled in all areas of the game.

Back to the game
According to Greater Knysna RC director of rugby Aschin Klein, the match gave his boys an opportunity to take on a "provincial team" and see and feel the difference between their current level and where they as players want to be in future.

"Yes, we did bite off more then we could handle, but if your dreams don’t scare you, you're not dreaming big enough. I am very satisfied with our preseason phase and we have reached most of our goals set for this phase. 

"We are excited to enter the in-season phase as of next week," said Klein.

Greater Knysna's u20 team will still face two touring u20 teams from Argentina in the next two weeks, with the first match on 1 March, and the second on 9 March. 

Article: Aschin Klein

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