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Border 36-14 Valke. The scoreline flatters no one and tells everything about a second half that belonged entirely to the Eastern Cape side. On a cool Tuesday afternoon at Grey High School in Gqeberha, Border started fast, were pegged back, went behind, then detonated — four tries in the final stretch turning a knife-edge contest into a statement victory.
Border made the early running, crossing the line to lead 7-0 with the conversion added. Grey High, Dale, Queen's, Selborne — this is a squad built on Border rugby's bedrock schools, and the intent was clear from the first whistle. But Valke, drawing heavily on the EG Jansen production line supplemented by Kempton Park and Jeugland, refused to blink. They hit back immediately, a try and a conversion of their own making it 7-7 at the break. All square, everything to play for.
The second half opened in the same tight fashion. Border edged ahead with their second try — 12-7 — and it looked like momentum was shifting. Then Valke struck. A converted try swung the scoreboard in the Gauteng side's favour, 12-14, and suddenly Border found themselves chasing. That moment could have broken them. It didn't.
What followed was a Border performance that will stay with everyone who watched it from the touchline. They hit back immediately to reclaim the lead at 17-14, then scored again to stretch it to 22-14. The game was won. But Border were not finished. A fifth try made it 27-14, the conversion pushing them to 29-14, and when a sixth try followed — converted to close it at 36-14 — the sheer scale of their second-half dominance was laid bare. Four unanswered tries after going behind. That is character.