Currie cup round-up

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Investec Western Province made short work of the visiting Wildeklawer Griquas at Newlands on Friday night with a convincing 42-16 victory in the ABSA Currie Cup qualifying match.

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WP flanker Luke Watson set the tone for a one-sided encounter with a pair of tries in the first 15 minutes that took the home side into a 14-0 lead.

The first was the result of a dominant pack which drove the former Sharks man over the line but the second was pure, individual skill.

Reading the play superbly, Watson was in position to charge down flyhalf Braam van Straaten's clearing kick from behind his own goal line and enjoyed a fortunate - but deservedly kind - bounce which allowed him to dive on an unguarded ball.

Right wing Egon Seconds joined the backline at centre during a set move that brought WP's third try in the 27th minute but a half-time lead of 21-6 should have been more with both Gus Theron and Zhahier Ryland knocking the ball on with the tryline at their mercy.

Van Straaten added a third penalty soon after the restart to reduce the deficit to 21-9 but any notion that Griquas were about to play themselves back into the game was quickly quashed when Seconds added his second try nine minutes in the half with a delightful chip-and-chase followed by some soccer style dribbling and a simple touchdown.

Replacement loose forward Pieter Louw, who enjoyed a storming second second half, added a fifth try from open play in the 54th minute and lock Rob Linde put the game beyond the remotest doubt with a sixth and final try from a lineout drive with 20 minutes remaining.

Griquas fullback Jose van Rensburg did produce a consolation try with a couple of minutes remaining but by then both sides had their attention turned elsewhere.

Scorers:

Investec Western Province:

Tries - Luke Watson (2), Egon Seconds (2), Pieter Louw, Rob Linde. Conversions - Earl Rose (6)

Wildeklawer Griquas:

Try - Jose van Rensburg. Penalties - Braam van Stratten (3). Conversion - Van Straaten.

It was no surprise that the Sharks thrashed the Mighty Elephants in their Absa Currie Cup match in Durban on Friday, but to do so 67-15 (halftime 38-10) was nevertheless impressive.

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The Sharks ran 10 tries past their ragged opposition, who replied with three of their own.

Left wing Henno Mentz was the chief beneficiary, and celebrated a hattrick of tries.

It took the Sharks less than four minutes to set the pattern of play, with Mentz crashing through what was left of the defence to score the first try after a sweeping surge through the Elephants' half.

Ten minutes after that number eight Jacques Botes smashed through the side of a scrum to touch down, and on 19 minutes flank Warren Britz did the same.

The Sharks earned their bonus point in the 21st minute when Mentz claimed his second after centre Rudi Keil put in the hard yards

That hiked the score at 31-0 just barely into the second quarter.

But, just when the key to the floodgates was in the lock, waiting to be turned, the Elephants struck back They won a lineout in their own half, and a canny chip by flyhalf Clinton van Rensburg found no-one home in the Sharks' defence.

The visitors stormed through, and right wing Baldwin McBean took the pass to score.

Back charged the Sharks with centre Adrian Jacobs prominent. He offloaded to Keil, and the scoreboard fast forwarded by another seven points.

At which point the Natalians pulled up the handbrake ever so slightly, allowing the visitors to apply a modicum of pressure.

It paid off for the men from Port Elizabeth when Van Rensburg intercepted close to the line and darted over to score.

Jacobs and Mentz sped in for tries in the first five minutes of the second half to make it 50-10, at which point the match lost shape. Perhaps understandably, what with the Sharks assured of victory.

Scrumhalf Dave von Hoesslin's try midway through the half restored some order, and with 13 minutes left livewire Elephants left wing Fabian Juries put in a searing burst down the touchline and sent fullback Justin Peach away to score the visitors' third.

Von Hoesslin's replacement, Bennie Nortje, was barely on the field when he bounced over the line for a try.

Centre Waylon Murray put the Sharks' try-count into double figures when he parried then caught a pass and dived over with four minutes left.

Scorers:

Sharks - Tries: Henno Mentz (3), Jacques Botes, Warren Britz, Rudi Keil, Adrian Jacobs, Dave von Hoesslin, Bennie Nortje, Waylon Murray. Conversions: Herkie Kruger (7). Penalty: Kruger.

Mighty Elephants - Tries: Baldwin McBean, Clinton van Rensburg, Justin Peach.

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The @tlantic Pumas pulled away in the last 20 minutes to beat the Griffons 31-19 (halftime 14-13) in their Absa Currie Cup match in Welkom on Friday night.

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The match was level at 19-19 midway through the second half, but the Griffons flushed their chances down the drain with a series of mistakes as their structure was adversely affected by having too many forwards in the backline. They spent lengthy periods deep in Pumas territory, but couldnÂ’t break through the defence. The Griffons just couldnÂ’t get any momentum going.

The Pumas were on the board first when a slick backline move was able to buy left wing Sinethemba Zweni enough space for the opening try. The lanky Casper Steyn added the conversion (7-0), but the Griffons had a nerveless goal-kicker of their own in flyhalf Andre Hough and he kicked a ninth-minute penalty (7-3).

The home side then took the lead when wing Tienie Goosen shocked the Mpumalanga defence with his blistering pace and Hough converted the try (7-10).

But Pumas scrumhalf Ashieq Wise is fairly brisk himself and he nipped through for the visitorsÂ’ second try after a prolonged passage of play on the Northern Free State tryline.

Steyn added the conversion and Hough knocked over a penalty as the teams exited the field for halftime with just one point separating them.

Hough recaptured the lead for the Griffons (14-16) with a penalty four minutes after the break, but their hooker, Ethienne Reynecke was then yellow-carded for a dismal lack of discipline at the ruck.

The sturdy Pumas forwards plied their trade to perfection five minutes later as they wore down the Griffons defences to set up a fine try for lock Martin Engelbrecht.

Hough once again drew the Griffons level (19-19) with his fourth penalty but as the pressure mounted in the final quarter, the home side cracked.

A neat backline move by the Pumas – which managed to include a forward pass missed by referee Stuart Berry – set up a try for replacement wing Hyron Thyse.

The victory was sealed two minutes from time when wing Sasha Marot ran from the halfway line to score without the Griffons defence laying a hand on him.

The Northern Free State defence was generally outstanding, but the Griffons let themselves down with their sloppiness when they had the ball. The admirable Hough kept them in the game with his steadiness at flyhalf.

The Pumas backs, sparked by Wise at scrumhalf, were classy and the visitors certainly defended stoutly too.

Scorers

Pumas – Tries: Sinethemba Zweni, Ashieq Wise, Malcolm Engelbrecht, Hyron Thyse, Sasha Marot. Conversions: Casper Steyn (3).

Griffons – Tries: Tienie Goosen. Conversions: Andre Hough. Penalties: Hough (4).

The Impala Leopards piled on six tries to beat the Border Bulldogs 52-33 in Potchefstroom on Friday night to keep their hopes of progressing to the second round of the Absa Currie Cup alive.

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The LeopardsÂ’ organisation and power at the ruck and their backsÂ’ ability to beat the flatfooted Border defence set up a comfortable win after they had led 38-14 at halftime.

Flank Retief Uys was on the scoreboard as early as the second minute when a lineout, set up by wing Ronnie CookeÂ’s chip and chase, was driven over the BulldogsÂ’ line.

The Leopards swept into an 18-0 lead after just 12 minutes with a further rush of points comprising a conversion and two penalties by flyhalf Naas Olivier and a try by eighthman Jonathan Mokuena after quick recycling of the ball and some tentative defending had weakened the Border defence.

A bumper score looked on the cards for the home side, but the Bulldogs were next to appear on the scoreboard when flank Marcel van der Walt controlled the ball well to dot it down after prop Delarey du PreezÂ’s charge off a lineout had been stopped just short of the line.

The Leopards picked up another soft six points via two more Olivier penalties to extend their cushion to 24-7, before Border struck back with their second try, by centre Werner Coetzer after excellent work by wing James Richards and inside centre Vusumzi Mbulali.

The third North-West try came in the 34th minute after flank Franco van der Merwe had bumped off several defenders and a meandering backline move allowed replacement fullback Bertus Swanepoel to go over in the left corner.

Shortly therafter, Swanepoel dropped the ball over the tryline after being set up by scrumhalf Jean Tiedt and Cooke was held up over the line, but the winds of change were not blowing for Border and the Leopards went into a 38-14 halftime lead when Mokuena controlled the ball well for a try after the Bulldogs scrum had disintegrated.

Border scored first in the second half, flyhalf Reinhard Gerber pulling the strings in a sweet backline move that resulted in a try for Richards (38-19).

But then the Bulldogs defence once again did a bunk and the result was settled with 10 minutes to go as the Leopards scored two more tries, both converted by the accurate boot of Olivier, who was also a potent force on attack.

Inside centre Barry Geel was through a gap to score after a clever dummy run by Swanepoel and Olivier was the architect of a marvellous try by wing Colin Lloyd with two breaks and a couple of clever inside passes.

The deflated Bulldogs were 52-19 down but they re-inflated themselves in the final stages with two tries that earned them a bonus point.

A pumped up Tiger Mangweni burst through four defenders to score and replacement centre Ryan Pickering also dotted down as the match degenerated into something of a bun fight.

Scorers

Leopards – Tries: Retief Uys, Jonathan Mokuena (2), Bertus Swanepoel, Barry Geel, Colin Lloyd. Conversions: Naas Olivier (5). Penalties: Olivier (4).

Border – Tries: Marcel van der Walt, Werner Coetzer, James Richards, Tiger Mangweni, Ryan Pickering. Conversions: Reinhard Gerber (4).