Dan bags 4 as Hammies 3rds march on

Daniel MacKenzie bagged 4 tries as Hamilton’s claimed another bonus point win against a much improved Belhar on Saturday.

McKenzies hat-rick came inside of 30 minutes as the Hammies backs ran the ball from all corners in favourable conditions.

In an entertaining game, it was Belhar that showed much improvement in their play from last season but ultimately had no answer to the hard and direct running from Hamilton’s back row and centres in particular.

Up front, loose forwards Lazz Chisaya and Jacob Modipa linked up several times with Modipa rounding off the match with a 7th try 2 minutes from full time.

The lineouts were effected by the early departure of hooker Martin Van Wyk with a knee injury, however Hammies scrum dominated for a 3rd game in a row and allowed half backs Chad Wyford and Ridge Pietersen plenty of time to exercise their options

Ridge Pietersens Sonnny Bill offload to the hero of the day MacKenzie from a quick tap and go was the highlight of the 1st half.

Scrum half Chad Wyford had a great game behind a dominant pack as did flank Jacob Modipa who put in his best performance of the year despite being given a yellow card for a defensive infringement in the 2nd half.

From the bench, centre Bobby Joubert made a big impact and wing Dean Wolmarans showed his sublime pace late in the game after a very satisfactory 1st full 80 minutes.

However, the day was all about Mackenzie who continues to impress with his support play, determination and leadership. Fly half Ridge Pietersen is also racking up the tries this season, with a try in each of his last 4 outings. Impressive footwork close to the line appears to be his speciality.

Hammies 3rds look in good shape for their fixture this weekend against Tygerberg as fitness levels and confidence continue to rise.

Result: Hamiltons 41 – Belhar 10