| Dar Leopards eye Rhinos revenge | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 08 March 2010 12:23 |
 By Suleiman JongoRugby powerhouses, Arusha Rhinos and Dar Leopards will go head-to-head in a nail-biting Tanzania Rugby Union (TRU) Cup return leg tie slated for March 27. After a lengthy period in the off-season, the prestigious rugby league kicked off a fortnight ago with several action-packed rugby showdowns. The Rhinos of Arusha, who cruised to win the title last season, kicked off their title defence campaigns to a perfect start. The reigning champions picked form where they left after comfortably trampling their neighbours Moshi Kili Cats. As if the massacre of the wild Cats was not enough, the Rhinos run riot to clobber visiting Dar Leopards 31-13 in an enterprising encounter held at the Arusha Friedkin Recreation Centre last week. The Leopards were looking to overturn their away woes, but could not break their long-standing jinx at the expense of their hosts. However, after succumbing to the titleholders horns, they have now issued a bold statement that they will claw at the Rhinos when they meet in two weeks. Their defeat to the Rhinos, however, has not yet derail Leopards' hopes of dethroning their rivals. They got the league underway with a resounding victory over Dar University Mambaz. Despite failing to defy the odds, The Leopards captain Cam McHale showered praise on his team for bravely taking the bull by the horns. "It was a tough game, but we showed our resolve and promise to get our revenge when we clash at the end of the month," said the skipper. As the Leopards plan their revenge, Rhinos skipper Mike Hooke down played dreams of their rivals, saying they would stretch their unbeaten streak at their expense. At the Friedkin Recreation Centre, conditions were perfect for an eventful afternoon rugby game and the match started at on a high note, with both sides pressing hard. But they were the hosts who had a lion's share of possession for large spells of the first half. However, the visitors took a shock lead just two minutes into the game. The Leopards broke the deadlock from a penalty kick, but their celebrations did not last long before Hooke opened the floodgate for the goals. Hooke capitalised on Dar’s fragile defence and crossed his first try, which lifted the Rhinos to a 7-3 lead. The set-pieces were deftly dealt with by both sides, but the Leopards had better control in the scrum, while the hosts dominated the line-outs. The longest serving Arusha Rhinos lock Tom Lithgow managed to put his name in the score-sheet before Hooke cautioned the lead in the 19th minute to 14-3. A brace of tries followed shortly, both in favour of the home side. wing Aart Koster and centre Elliot Kinsey crossed the line in the 20th and 22nd minutes respectively rounding off the Rhinos’ early period of domination in the match. Sparkling Hooke converted once again and the score stood at 26-3, far beyond the hapless visitors reach. Aiming not to be outdone, the Leopards regrouped and successfully launched a series of shock-waves, pinning the Rhinos deep into their own half. The pressure yielded a yellow-card to Elliot Kinsey in the 34th minute for not releasing the tackler. The Leopards capitalised on this to score one try. The Rhinos were quick off the mark in the second half, with Hooke crossing the line for his second try of the day in the 45th minute. As the hour mark approached, both teams were constantly losing steam, with several injuries hitting the hosts while their bench had already become thinner. With the score standing at 31-8, they were the Leopards who benefited in the final minutes, scoring another try that however didn't prevent the Rhinos from celebrating their second straight victory. Arusha’s Paul Olivier emerged the man of the match in his return to rugby actions and was treated to a helicopter ride after the match sponsored by Helicopter Safaris Firelight. Dar captain Cam McHale complimented the two teams in a very physical encounter and, “looks forward to winning when they host the Rhinos in Dar." After the match, Hooke said:“Aspects of our discipline let us down today but we can take a lot out of a convincing win against a good team from Dar es Salaam.” Rhinos’ club president and team captain Graham Wood also congratulated every player on a great day at the centre. Besides, the president thanked sponsors for their invaluable support. The sponsors include; PetroSol, Holtan, Fitco, Friedkin Recreation Centre and Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris, Just Water and Arusha Rhinos Club Patrons. Rhinos and Dar Leopards are charging their batteries ahead their Saturday's games when they clash with different opponents. “We have no match today (last Saturday), this gives us an ample time to prepare for the forthcoming match,” said Dar Leopards player Christopher Hatty. On Saturday, the Rhinos will be playing Moshi Kili Cats while the Leopards will be pitting their wits against the wounded Mambaz. The league is organised by the TRU, a move that is meant to promote rugby in the country. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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