Here is an informal report of Knox v Barker
by “The Chosen”
Knox 56 — Barker 18
On a sunny Saturday afternoon a crowd estimated at 5000+ were entertained to both some tough and skilful rugby at Knox No. 1.
First half
The first half was both willing and entertaining- Knox leading 21-13 at the break.
Second -Rower, Milan Basson had been well placed to finish off backline breaks for Knox and outside centreJames Armstrong ran brilliantly for the third try prior to half-time.
It should be noted that both scorers had come up from the Under 16s over the past few weeks.
Barker were competing well for the ball in the forwards- their lineout appearing to dominate Knox early on. Knox defended very well for bulk of half but Barker prop, Johnathan Green powered over for a try ten minutes before half time
Second half
It would appear Barker’s first half efforts drained them somewhat and Knox dominated the second half-running in a further five tries- probably the most astounding thing here was that Jimmy Widders-Leece did not score.
Second half scorers for Knox were Lachlan Swinton(2nd Row),Brett Van Zyl(No.6) Jake Pierce(No.7) Connor Watson (5/8) and Lucas Price(Wing).
Pierce’s try was spectacular,including palming off Barker captain, David Smerdon. Smerdon compensated for this late in the half by scoring off a good chip and chase.
Knox’s second scoring was assisted by improved lineout-winning a lot at the back, a tight-head to Widders-Leece and just a more aggressive game. Barker could not match the intensity.
A good finish to a very good Knox team-but slip-ups in two early games cost them the premiership.
I did not watch them all season but I saw both Cranbrook games, the first where a freakish bounce turned the tide. Often Knox relied too much on its standout players, who often tried to do too much on their own. A number of players could and would do tremendous off-loads but at other times they hung on instead of looking for support.
Nevertheless they have a very good foundation for a excellent team next year.
Thank you”The Chosen”
The Scoring
Knox 56 ( M Basson 2, L Swinton, B Van Zyl, J Pierce, C Watson, J Armstrong, L Price tries; L Bosch 7, L Price cons ) def. Barker 18 ( J. Green, D Smerdon tries; D Balcombe con, 2 pens )
Thank you”The Chosen”
.
