Leopard run wild
The Leopards, South Western Districts Eagles and Pumas registered strong starts in the First Division competition at the weekend.
All three out-classed the opposition in convincing away victories.
The Leopards ran in six tries against the Boland Cavaliers for their 45-15 victory in Wellington, with the SWD Eagles also securing a bonus point 36-12 win against the Border Bulldogs in East London.
The Pumas on the other hand fought their way to a 29-13 victory against a spirited EP Kings side featuring the union's back-up players due to the Super Rugby clash between the Bulls and Southern Kings.
In the other clash the Falcons and Griffons played to a 30-30 draw in Kempton Park.
At the Boland stadium flyhalf Eric Zana handed the home team a 3-0 lead thanks to a penalty in the fourth minute, but that was the first and last time the team held the lead as the Leopards took control of proceedings shortly after.
A converted try and penalty by the visitors boosted their confidence, but the defining moment in the match was Boland lock Ben Venter receiving a red card in the 19th minute for punching. This placed the team on the back-foot, which the visitors took full advantage of to cruise to victory.
In East London, SWD were dominant from the outset against Border as they used their pace and skill to play their way on to the front foot. This paid off with two-first half tries and three in the second.
The Pumas, meanwhile, were made to work hard for their victory against the EP Kings in a penalty-ridden clash.
But with Pumas flyhalf Carl Bezuidenhout's boot on song, they came out tops. Only three tries were scored in the match – two by the Pumas and one by the Kings.
Bezuidenhout's tally of 19 points with the boot was sufficient to push the match beyond the Kings' reach.
In Kempton Park the Falcons came out firing and scored two converted tries in the first eight minutes for a 14-0 lead.
But the Griffons bounced back with intent for two tries of their own. A penalty a side to add to this left the scores level on 17-17 at the break. The second half was equally tense with the teams exchanging more penalties and a try each, but it was a last-minute penalty by Griffons flyhalf Louis Strydom that sealed the draw.
First Division Round One results and scorers:
Boland Cavaliers 15-45 Leopards
Scorers:
For the Boland Cavaliers
Tries: Gerber, Jansen
Con: Zana
Pen: Zana
For the Leopards:
Tries: Marutlulle, Marais, Tossel 2, Skorbinski, Buys
Cons: Engelbrecht 6
Pen: Engelbrecht
Red card: Ben Venter (Boland, 19)
EP Kings 13-29 Pumas
Scorers:
For the Eastern Province Kings:
Try: Dunlop
Con: Dunlop
Pens: Dunlop 2
For the Pumas:
Tries: Pretorius 2
Cons: Bezuidenhout 2
Pens: Bezuidenhout 4
DG: Bezuidenhout
Yellow cards: Stefan Watermeyer (Pumas, 62), RW Kember (Pumas, 68)
Border Bulldogs 12-36 SWD Eagles
Scorers:
For the Border Bulldogs:
Tries: Van Schalkwyk, Mkhafu
Con: Aspeling
For SWD Eagles:
Tries: Bock 2, Du Plessis, Wagman, Ferreira
Cons: Smith 2, Taljard 2
Pen: Taljard
Falcons 30-30 Griffons
Scorers:
For the Falcons:
Tries: Richter, Nokwe, Odendaal
Cons: Roberts 3
Pens: Roberts 3
For the Griffons:
Tries: Steyn, Maarman, Griesel
Cons: Strydom 3
Pens: Strydom 3
Yellow card: Shane Kirkwood (Falcons, 12)
