Louis Trichardt's first rugby team secured their first victory on Saturday, 15 February, in their debut match of the Castle Lager Super League. They defeated the men from Sibanye-Stillwater 24-15, silencing those who still believe that Louis Trichardt does not belong in the Super League.
Despite having home-ground advantage on a pitch that is usually very hard, the Louis Trichardt players struggled on a rain-soaked, muddy field. As a result, play was somewhat sloppy at times, and Louis Trichardt missed several opportunities to score. Their discipline also let them down, and late in the second half, the team was reduced to only 12 players after three were sent off with yellow cards.
"It was quite a tough match, given the conditions we had to play in. The pitch was soaked, so the scrums and play were not a true reflection of what the match could have been. It would have been much better if it hadn't been so wet," said the club's head coach, Pieter Viljoen, after the match.
Viljoen acknowledged that discipline was a problem. "We conceded too many yellow cards, but that's something we will definitely work on this week," he said. It is undoubtedly true that discipline issues at this level of play can cost a team their place in the Super League.
Louis Trichardt's focus is now on their next Super League match against the Northam Rhinos (Thabazimbi) on Saturday, 22 February, at 18:00 at the Bushveld Park Stadium (Setaria). It is expected to be a tough match, as the Northam Rhinos finished second last year in both the Carlton League and the Gold Cup, just behind the Naka Bulls.
"As for the Northam Rhinos, their strength lies in their forwards, and our preparations will be based on that. We know they will come at us with everything they have, but it's always great to be the underdogs. Not many people expect much from us, but we proved again this past weekend that we are here for a reason. Unlike what some other clubs say, we definitely belong here … The travelling does have an effect on any team's morale. We still have a lot of work to do this week, but we are looking forward to it," Viljoen said.
While Louis Trichardt's first team travels to Setaria on Saturday for their next Super League match, the club's second and third team will also be in action the same day. They will travel to Tzaneen to participate in the Letaba Rugby Club's rugby day. Louis Trichardt's second team, however, already gained valuable match time this past weekend in a curtain-raiser for the first team. The second team faced Sibanye-Stillwater's second team and lost 7-11 in a match that could have gone either way.
Meanwhile, rugby enthusiasts are reminded of the Louis Trichardt Rugby Club's annual Conway Rugby Day, taking place on Saturday, 1 March. From 12:00 to 13:15, Louis Trichardt 3 will take on Messina 2, followed by Letaba 1 against the Louis Trichardt Old Boys at 13:30. The match between Louis Trichardt 2 and White River 2 will follow at 15:30, with Messina 1 and Noordelikes 1 facing off at 17:15. The main match of the day, between Louis Trichardt 1 and White River 1, will kick off at 19:00.