Mixed start for local rugby clubs

KNYSNA NEWS - Club rugby officially got up and running for the first time in two years last weekend, with Knysna United trumping Thistles while Sedgefield Eagle Stars were beaten by Progress.

In a world not affected by Covid-19, the 2022 SWD Rugby season would be Eagle Stars' third in the SWD Super League A (formerly the Premier League).

But, after gaining promotion to the league from the President's League ahead of the 2020 season, their time in the top league was short-lived before the pandemic saw to the cancellation of the 2020 season.

No club rugby was played in 2021, nullifying yet another potential Super League A season for Eagle Stars.

They did, however, manage to play one match in 2020 - coincidentally against the same side they were scheduled to face in the opening round of the 2022 season, Progress.

Eagle Stars and Progress faced off at the sports complex in Smutsville in Sedgefield on Saturday 19 March. Each club was to field three sides as was the case in 2020. Cullen Cole scores a try for Knysna United in a warm-up game ahead of this season.

History repeated itself once more in the form of the match results, with all three Progress sides emerging victorious as they did two years ago.

Progress' third team had the smallest win margin of the day, with a score of 31-6. The second team beat Eagle Stars 34-5, and the first team earned an emphatic 69-3 win.

Eagle Stars will now have the daunting task of facing Evergreens in Pacaltsdorp on Saturday 26 March.

Knysna United experienced different fortunes on Saturday, facing Thistles in Friemersheim outside Great Brak River in the SWD Super League B.

Unlike their counterparts in the league above them, Knysna United and Thistles only needed to field two sides.

The second teams locked horns first, and a tight game led to a 15-15 draw. The first teams also played a close match, but ultimately the side from Knysna earned a 20-12 win to get their season going on the right note.

Knysna United will face Albertinia Rangers at Loerie Park on Saturday 26 March.

Grant Kiewiets steps off his left foot in a warm-up game for Knysna United ahead of this season. Photo: Blake Linder