Today
| 10 Apr | Welwitschias | v | Blue Bulls | 34-58 | ||
| 10 Apr | Pampas XV | v | Free State | 36-24 | ||
| 10 Apr | Border | v | Boland Kavaliers | 33-13 | ||
| 10 Apr | Western Province | v | SWD | 29-23 |
Latest Results
| 09 Apr | Eastern Province | 25 – 27 | Sharks XV | |
| 09 Apr | Pumas | 22 – 18 | Golden Lions | |
| 09 Apr | Griffons | 36 – 24 | Valke | |
| 09 Apr | Griquas | 51 – 21 | Platinum Leopards | |
| 07 Apr | Pampas XV | 36 – 17 | SWD |
The beleaguered Griffons scored six tries to register a hard-fought 38-24 (halftime 12-12) victory over the Valke in a Vodacom Cup match played at the North West Stadium in Welkom on Friday.
The match was an entertaining basement scrap between two of the North section’s wooden-spoon contenders, who between them had managed just a solitary victory in 10 matches before this encounter, played on a cool evening in front of a crowd of 500 diehard fans.
The bonus-point victory moves the Griffons up to 11 points and sixth place on the standings, with two wins from six matches. But with only one game remaining in the round-robin stages, the Northern Free Staters are out of contention for the playoffs and will already be turning their attention to the Currie Cup First Division.
Scorers:
Griffons 38 – Tries: Enrico Schultz, Sarel Louw, Tertius Maarman (2), Eddie Fredericks, Nicky Steyn. Conversions: Schultz (3), Apie Pretorius.
Valke 24 – Tries: Eddie Gauche, Theo Rhodes, Johan de Bruin, Gido Horn. Conversions: Jacques George (2)
The Mpumalanga Pumas claimed a vital victory in the Vodacom Cup when they beat the Golden Lions 22-18 (halftime 10-18) on a wet and cold evening at the Lilian Ngoyi Stadium in Secunda on Friday.
The Lions, who were second on the North section log before kickoff, looked set for victory when they opened up an eight-point lead at the break.
But they didn’t account for the placekicking of Pumas flyhalf Ricardo Croy, who did most of the damage as the men from Mpumalanga fought back to clinch the match in exciting fashion in front of a paltry crowd of no more than 100.
The Lions remain in second spot, with four wins from six matches and 21 log points, with points difference keeping them just a nose in front of defending champions Griquas with one round to play and the all-important issue of home-ground advantage in the quarter-finals yet to be decided.
The Pumas, meanwhile, move up to fourth after their fourth win in six starts. They are just one point adrift of both the Lions and Griquas, and will fancy their chances of hosting a playoff if they can manage to beat the fifth-placed Leopards away next Friday.
Scorers:
Pumas 22 – Try: Torsten van Jaarsveld. Conversion: Ricardo Croy. Penalties: Croy (5).
Golden Lions 18 – Penalties: Earl Rose (6).
Eastern Province dug themselves out of an early hole before being battered into submission in the second half and being beaten 27-25 by the Sharks XV in their Vodacom Cup match in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
The Sharks XV made a flying start to the game, shooting out of the blocks with two tries in the first 15 minutes, both converted by flyhalf Monty Dumond, for a 14-0 lead.
Both tries came as a result of defensive lapses as Eastern Province made a shaky start to the match.
The first try, by Jean Stemmet, would come after a sustained period of pressure on the line, the centre cutting through a gap easily.
Flyhalf Matthew Taylor-Smith then made a telling mistake with Eastern Province on attack five minutes later, his chip-kick going straight into the hands of flank Skholiwe Ndlovu, who sprinted all the way to the line as a disorganised defence gave him plenty of space.
But territorial advantage for the rest of the first half afforded the home side the chance to draw level at 14-14 before the half-hour was up.
A blistering break by outside centre Siyanda Grey, who then found left wing Howard Noble up in support, put Eastern Province on the board, the trusty boot of fullback Justin Peach adding the conversion.
Eastern Province scored the best try of the match seven minutes later when lock Hein Potgieter thrilled the crowd by galloping, giraffe-like, for a good twenty metres with none of the Sharks tacklers able to bring him down. The ball was kept alive well by centre De Wet Barry, with Peach the man to finish off the try. The leading points-scorer in the competition this season also kicked the conversion and the scores were level.
Peach kicked two more penalties and Dumond one to leave Eastern Province 20-17 ahead at half-time, but they were definitely beginning to make life hard for the Sharks.
Which made the fact they allowed fullback Chris Jordaan to run through and score at his own convenience in the first minute of the second half all the more inexplicable, the conversion of the try by Dumond putting the Natalians 24-20 ahead.
The sprinting skills of Peach were to the fore in the 52nd minute, however, as he intercepted on his own 22-metre line and ran clear to score, although he missed the difficult touchline conversion (25-24).
But the yellow-carding of Barry, for a high tackle on wing Lwazi Mvovo, obviously had a major effect on the game despite the failure of the Sharks to put any points on the board during the 10 minutes the former Springbok was off the field. Eastern Province were on the back foot from then on and their energy and intensity had gone by the time Barry returned.
Dumond put the Sharks on top for good with a 70th-minute penalty, although Eastern Province had two penalty chances of their own in the last eight minutes to snatch victory.
But with Peach gone from the field due to cramps, Taylor-Smith missed an easy kick at goals and replacement fullback Ryan Brown a more angled attempt in the final minute.
The Sharks deserved their triumph, however, with the daring running of Mvovo and Jordaan complemented by the impressive charges of flank Justin Downey and hooker Craig Burden, their physicality keeping Eastern Province on the back foot.
Loose forward Elroy Ligman celebrated his 100th appearance for Eastern Province with a solid game, while fellow flank Yves Bashiya and hooker Giovano Fourie were very much on top of their games.
Scorers
Eastern Province – Tries: Howard Noble, Justin Peach (2). Conversions: Peach (2). Penalties: Peach (2).
Sharks XV – Tries: Jean Stemmet, Skholiwe Ndlovu, Chris Jordaan. Conversions: Monty Dumond (3). Penalties: Dumond (2).
Prop Albertus Buckle scored a hat-trick of tries and spearheaded an afternoon of grief in the tight phases for the Platinum Leopards as GWK Griquas hammered them 51-21 in their Vodacom Cup match at A.R. Abass Stadium in Kimberley on Friday.
The result of the match was in doubt for the first half-hour, but then the Griquas pack began to find their rhythm and upped their intensity, leaving the Leopards with no answers.
Buckle, who inspired the rest of his team with his exploits, was the first on the scoresheet in the 11th minute when he scored the opening try after a period in which Griquas had been camped in the Leopards 22.
The Leopards licked their wounds and bounced back with a try by hooker Pellow van der Westhuizen, converted by Jean Tiedt, to draw level again at 7-7.
But sharpshooter Logan Basson kicked a penalty to restore the lead for Griquas and, on the half-hour mark, the backs were quick to strike when given the opportunity to run, being stopped just short of the line and allowing eighthman Wian Karremaker to score, darting around the loose maul.
Flyhalf Basson converted to continue his debut in faultless fashion, and he was then joined on the scoresheet by his well-known older brother Bjorn, the wing seizing on an opportunity to score in the corner, so Griquas went into the break with a comfortable 22-7 lead.
The opening exchanges of the second half were therefore crucial for the Leopards, but they conceded two tries in the first four minutes to effectively end their hopes of a comeback.
Dewald Pretorius, the wing who is built like a lock, forced his way over in the corner and it was Buckle who dotted down two minutes later after a well-structured, powerful maul by Griquas. Logan Basson converted both tries to give the home team a commanding 36-7 lead.
Buckle capped a top-class outing when the 26-year-old completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, being driven over in a maul after a lineout.
Pretorius returned to the try-scorer’s list when he grabbed one for the backs in the 63rd minute, but it was back to the forwards for Griquas’ final try, when replacement hooker Simon Westraadt was the ball-carrier in a 74th-minute maul that barged over the line.
The final quarter did see something of a Leopards’ comeback too, as they scored two tries, both converted by Tiedt.
The first came after the visitors managed to hook possession away from Griquas and a surging backline move ushered lock Rynard “Ligtoring” Landman to the tryline.
Centre Jovan Bowles’ try was less impressive as he scored from an intercept when Griquas were hard on attack.
The convincing victory moves Griquas into second place on the North Section log, a point behind the Blue Bulls, who are unbeaten and who play the Welwitschias in Namibia on Saturday.
The Leopards, whose chief sin was to be thoroughly outmuscled up front, go into fourth place, a point ahead of the Pumas, who played the Lions in Secunda later on Friday.
Scorers
GWK Griquas – Tries: Albertus Buckle (3), Wian Karremaker, Bjorn Basson, Dewald Pretorius (2), Simon Westraadt. Conversions: Logan Basson (4). Penalty: Basson.
Platinum Leopards – Tries: Pellow van der Westhuizen, Rynard Landman, Jovan Bowles. Conversions: Jean Tiedt (3).
Stellenbosch – The Pampas XV of Argentina got their Vodacom Cup campaign back on track when they beat the SWD Eagles 36-17 (halftime 17-7) in a South section match played in Stellenbosch on Wednesday.
This game would have been played in George last month, but was postponed due to a player strike by the Southern Cape team.
A somewhat happier Eagles side could however not pick up a single league point in this midweek fixture, whereas the Pampas left the Van der Stel sports grounds with a full house.
Competing well in the scrums and lineouts was not enough to make up for a dreadful afternoon in the Eagles’ defence department — hence six Argentinean tries.
The Pampas XV competed very well at the breakdown area and won many an unprotected SWD ball. Their willingness to run from anywhere also caught the disorganised Eagles defenders off guard on a number of occasions.
Right wing Martin Bustos Moyano ran in a hat-trick long-distance tries for the travelling home side and the final nail in the coffin was hammered in when Eagles replacement scrumhalf, Jandré Blom, threw a misguided pass straight into the hands of lock Tomás Roan, who scored the sixth try.
For the Eagles, Sakkie Saayman and Bevin Fortuin scored either side of halftime, but their team never seemed able to outsmart the happy-go-lucky yet physical Pampas attack.
Considering that fullback Martin Rodriguez missed 15 points in a poor kicking display, the Argentinians could have notched up their half-century against a team who should have sleepless nights before they face Western Province in Ravensmead, Cape Town on Saturday.
The Pampas XV, who host Free State in the curtain-raiser, now have a perfect opportunity to prove that they can play well two weeks in a row – MWP.
Scorers:
Pampas XV 36 – Tries: Martin Bustos Moyano (3), Agustin Gosio, Cesar Felipe Bettoli, Tomás Roan. Conversions: Martin Rodriguez (3).
Eagles 17 – Tries: Sakkie Saayman, Bevin Fortuin. Conversions: Deroy Rhoode, Jandré Blom. Penalty: Rhoode.
The Pampas XV moved to second spot on the Vodacom Cup South section log with a comprehensive 36-24 (halftime 26-3) victory over Free State in a match played at Florida Park in Ravensmead, Cape Town, on Saturday.
The Argentinians were totally dominant in all facets of play, scoring five tries to three to send a warning to the rest of the teams in the competition that they have not just come to South Africa to make up the numbers.
The Pampas team raced to a 23-point lead at the break before staving off a concerted Free State fightback in the final quarter to move to 19 log points — the same as the top-placed Sharks XV, who have the better points difference.
On a warm and breezy afternoon, in front of around 3,000 lively spectators at the home of Tygerberg Rugby Club, the Pampas team delivered a clinical and entertaining first-half performance against the stiff south-easterly wind.
Their forward pack was a well-oiled machine that ensured quick ruck ball, while they were marshalled shrewdly at halfback by scrumhalf Francisco Albarracín and flyhalf Benjamin Urdapilleta, who constantly kept the Free Staters pinned back in their own half.
The Pampas XV opened the scoring in the sixth minute through right winger Agustin Gosio and notched up another three before the break to all but end the game as a contest after 40 minutes.
Fullback Martin Rodriguez, who kicked three conversions, then added a 50-metre drop goal in the 44th minute to make it 29-3 before a slew of replacements on both sides tilted the balance slightly in the Free Staters’ favour.
Replacement scrumhalf Tertius Carse spearheaded the Cheetahs’ revival, scoring a try and having a hand in two others as the men from Bloemfontein tried valiantly at the death to make a game of it.
But ultimately they were well beaten up front by a streetwise Pampas pack (although Cheetahs lock Rudi Mathee tied his heart out all afternoon), while behind the scrum the Argentinians were inventive and ran good angles while the Free State backs looked flat-footed and bereft of ideas.
The Pampas’ final league fixture is a top-of-the-table clash against the Sharks XV in Durban on Friday, with home-ground advantage bound to be crucial for the playoffs as the Pampas side will host a semi-final in Argentina should they proceed to the last four.
On the basis of this performance, that is a distinct possibility.
Scorers:
Pampas XV 36 – Tries: Agustin Oscar Gosio, Bustillo Esteban, Miguel Avramovic, Juan Pablo Estelles, Mauro Comuzzi. Conversions: Martin Rodríguez (3), Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias. Drop goal: Rodríguez.
Free State 24 – Tries: Rudi Mathee, Tertius Carse, PW van Vuuren. Conversions: Louis Strydom (2), Sias Ebersohn. Penalty: Strydom.
The Boland Kavaliers outmuscled the Border Bulldogs 33-13 (half-time 19-6) in an error-strewn Vodacom Cup match marked by the visitors’ forward dominance and better defence at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London on Saturday.
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Scorers
Border Bulldogs – Try: Matthew Taljard. Conversion: Jeffrey Taljard. Penalties: J. Taljard (2).
Boland Kavaliers – Tries: Willie le Roux, Zandre’ Jordaan (2), Lionel Cornelius, Franzel September. Conversions: Jacquin Jansen (4).
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