All guns blazing in big LSA win 5 - 55 in lead up to Saturday’s double-header

7th October, 2006

London South Africa Shield XV (LSA) put on an excellent performance at their away game against Portsmouth on the weekend, with a convincing 5-55 win. Despite having only 14 men on the field, the team benefited from the presence of a blend of some of the club’s longstanding players as well as the new talent unearthed during last week’s Richmond Saxons game. LSA dominated nearly every area of play, and were rewarded with nine tries; while on the receiving end Portsmouth kept up their spirits despite suffering a disproportionately high injury count, and were finally rewarded with a try of their own. Justin Rose and Keiran Gaffney ensured LSA won the line-outs; in the loose Dennis Schutte and Johan Smit wrought havoc on the opposition’s defence; while Dave Blackburn played a pivotal role amongst the backline, opening the way for the dangerous winger, Malcolm Mirfin, to run through (scoring five tries of his own); Jarred Vock also demonstrated his skill with securing five conversations for LSA. Coach Dries van Rensburg was visibly pleased with the day’s outturn, “the players showed tremendous commitment today, and if they can continue this, the Shield XV will grow from strength to strength and work our way up the table”.

This Saturday, LSA will host a double-header at their home ground, Imber Court. The Shield XV will play Bishops Stortford at 1pm, while the Surrey XV game against Old Emanuel will kick-off at 3pm. All supporters are welcome to attend and to enjoy the club’s first-class facilities (for which Imber Court has recently won an award).