{"id":82090,"date":"2015-02-27T09:25:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T07:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/82090\/simmer-are-on-the-up\/"},"modified":"2015-02-27T09:24:22","modified_gmt":"2015-02-27T07:24:22","slug":"simmer-are-on-the-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2015\/02\/27\/simmer-are-on-the-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Simmer are on the up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germiston Simmer Rugby Club participated in the Golden Lion’s annual Sevens Tournament, on February 21 and 22, at the Alberton Rugby Club.<\/p>\n

The u-20 team and the senior side represented the club.<\/p>

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The two teams had to compete against the formidable UJ A, Union and Harlequins sides, on the Saturday, which started off as a wet and cold day.<\/p>\n

The junior side (u-20) started the tournament on a good note, beating Union 21-22, while the seniors had grinder of a game, but ultimately lost out.<\/p>

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In the next round, both local teams fell short against the very physical UJ A sides, which left the locals with a must win against Harlequins.<\/p>\n

With the rain setting in, the conditions were a challenge for Simmers and, unfortunately, the juniors were on the losing side of the points board by the end whistle.<\/p>\n

The senior side, however, found themselves in a very closely fought battle. With both sides needing to secure the number two spot, they both came out swinging and, in the end, Simmers came out on top, with a great win, beating Harlequins 17-14.<\/p>\n

This left the Simmer senior side in the top cup quarters and the junior side in the bowl quarters.<\/p>\n

The next day, Sunday, presented a whole new challenge; unlike the previous day’s wet and cold weather, it changed into a full-on heat wave.<\/p>\n

The local seniors faced Alberton in the quarters, while the juniors took on Kagiso.<\/p>\n

The juniors saw their way passed Kagiso with a convincing 31-5 win, while the seniors lost to Alberton.<\/p>\n

With those results the Simmer seniors moved to the plate semis, while the juniors moved to the bowl semis.<\/p>\n

The local junior side faced Union for the second time, and rampantly passed them with a 26-10 win.<\/p>\n

The Simmer seniors then went up against the Raiders, which turned out to be a nail-biting semi; Simmers were able to see off the competition with a close and very tough win, scoring 14-5.<\/p>\n

The final matches of the day saw the Simmer junior side play for the bowl against Pirates, while the seniors played for the plate against the impressive UJ B.<\/p>\n

The juniors fought hard, but with injuries and fatigue setting in, the side ultimately went down to a formidable Pirates side.<\/p>\n

The seniors’ match saw big hits coming from both sides, and great attacking play — both sides were in with a chance.<\/p>\n

In the end, it was Simmers’ three tries against those of their opponents which gave them a memorable 17-5 win, making them the Plate champions.<\/p>\n

The club extend their gratitude to the players and supporters.<\/p>\n

With the Golden Lion’s annual Sevens Tournament done and dusted, the club have started training for the 15-aside season.<\/p>\n

Before the league begins, Simmers have a number of friendly games in which they will take part, so as to prepare themselves for the league.<\/p>\n

On March 7, the club will take part in the Nigel Rugby Day; they will then face Alberton on March 14 and, finally, East Rand Police on March 21.<\/p>\n

The East Rand Police match will be the last friendly before the league, which that will commence soon after.<\/p>\n

The club invite all players interested in joining their ranks during the coming season to report for practise on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, at the Germiston Stadium.<\/p>\n