Craven Week - Day 3
All the matches
The rain was pelting down in the south of the country but up in Johannesburg the weather was calm and perfect for rugby as the 2006 Craven Week went into Day 3.
South Western Districts vs Zimbabwe, 40-20
South Western Districts won well. Early on it looked as if they would annihilate Zimbabwe but the men from north of the border were tenacious and came back with two excellent late tries.
South Western Districts were much the better side – stronger and more cohesive up front and behind the pack they had too much creativity and speed. They could easily have won by much more.
Zimbabwe had to live off scraps of possession but till the last ten minutes they rather squandered it by playing it inside. When they let the ball go wide their backs looked impressive.
Scrumhalf Mergo laws lived up to his high rating with a splendid try to open the scoring. From a ruck he broke sharply down the blind side and then swerved infield to score at the posts. Gerhard Nortier converted, as he did all but the last try.
Hubri Bruyn broke brilliantly to give speedy Leighton Bezuidenhout a sniff of the goal-line and the wing was fast and strong enough to make it. 14-0 after 17 minutes.
Zimbabwe were having problems with their goal-kicking and had missed two kicks before they got two over to make it 14-6 after half an hour.
But South Western Districts struck straight back. going right backs and forwards combined to give America Kruger an overlap and he sped with great purpose down the right wing, easily dismissing a would-be tackler for a try in the right corner.
That made it 21-6 at the break.
Early in the second half South Western Districts increased their lead when from a scrum Wilton Pietersen cut clean through, swerved and went over under the posts.
Tries by Gerhard Nortier and Derek Harwood took the score to 40-6.
Now at last Zimbabwe came alive. First Andrew Rose was over and then, after the siren, they tapped a penalty on the left and set speedy Osmond Mhere racing down the right. He just got over for the try which Tich Makwanya converted.
Scorers:
For South Western Districts:
Tries: America Kruger, Derek Harwood, Gerhard Nortier, Leighton Bezuidenhout, Mergo Laws , Wilton Pietersen
Cons: Gerhard Nortier 5
For Zimbabwe:
Tries: Andrew Rose, Osmond Mhere
Cons: Tich Makwanya 2
Pens: Tich Makwanya 2
Referee: Charlton Pick
Boland vs Limpopo, 40-20
Boland won this hugely entertaining encounter 40-20. The first half of the game was entertaining for the most part. Limpopo started well and were on the board within the first two minutes of play. Jombi Gabriel scoring on the left. Gerrie Roos was up to the task and converted from wide out.
Boland slowly came into the game and began applying some pressure of their own. Henk de Villers kicked a penalty for the Bolanders and then was on the end of a long-range effort which started with a stolen line-out ball in the own 22m-area. They drove the ball up to the half-way and then scrumhalf Marlon Coetzee put in a box kick. Limpopo made a mess of the kick and Boland retrieved the ball. It was taken wide to De Villiers who jinked in under the posts.
Limpopo retook the lead with a try from left-wing Akani Mvuma. He was on the end of a great counter-attack movement, which started on the right hand touchline and was finished in the left corner.
The game was stop-start for a while after that as the referees whistle ruled the roost. The kickers traded kicks for Limpopo to take a 20-13 lead. Boland struck back with a try on the stroke of half time. Some wonderful phase play led to impressive Boland lock Hugo Kloppers getting the ball just five metres out. He offloaded brilliantly to No. 8 Kobus Kriel who crashed over in the corner to leave Boland trailing by two points at the interval.
Boland took the lead immediately after the break with a penalty by De Villers. The penalty was given for foul play, which led to Limpopo's being reduced to 14 men. In the ten minutes that followed Boland wrapped up the game. A try after a scrappy passage of play by fiery flank Wayne Hulme and a second straight from the kick-off for Henk de Villiers saw Boland pull out to an unassailable 33-20 lead.
Boland were on fire now and almost scored again from the kickoff after another barnstorming run from lock Hugo Kloppers. The third loose forward Jacques Swanepoel scored the final Boland try from a well-worked line-out move, which included a double switch around the front.
At 40-20 to Boland it was game over but Limpopo tried manfully for a consolation try but just couldn’t finish.
Scorers:
For Boland:
Tries: Henk de Villiers 2, Jacques Swanepoel, Kobus Kriel, Wayne Hulme
Cons: Henk de Villiers 3
Pens: Henk de Villiers 3
For Limpopo:
Tries: Akani Bvuma, Jombi Gabriel
Cons: Gert Roos 2
Pens: Gert Roos 2
Referee: Sandile Mayende
Free State vs Western Province, 22-21
The Under-18 teams of these South African rugby giants played a fitting curtain-raiser to the much anticipated Currie Cup clash between their two senior teams at Newlands on Saturday. It was a game of two halves. In the firsthalf the Western Province team looked like a completely different team from the one, which lost to the Pumas on Day 1. They dominated proceedings from the outset and were full value for the 15-3 half-time lead. Committed in every facet of play they camped in the Free State half and accumulated points. Their scrum was particularly impressive.
The Free State team containing 13 players from Grey College had only a few good line-out drives to show for their efforts in the first half while Western province would have been kicking themselves that they were unable to convert the pressure to tries. Free State gave away five penalties at the ruck and WP flyhalf Coenie van Wyk kicked all five over. Free State replied with one penalty by flyhalf Sias Ebersohn.
Western Province extended their lead just after the break but then the course of events changed dramatically. Free State scored via impressive prop Coenie Oostuizen from a peel around the back of the line-out. Ebersohn converted and from then on Free State appeared to gain confidence and they dominated. The game was played almost entirely in the Western Province half from then on and the Free State team began to gel, forwards and backs combining to good effect.
Free State scored again after sustained pressure. From a scrum they executed good backline move, which was rounded off by centre Gerhard Landman. Western Province converted a penalty to leave the score at 21-15 to Province with three minutes to play.
Free State kicked off and Province made an error when trying to set a ruck to clear their lines. From the scrum Free State No.8 Erik le Roux picked up and ran 22 metres to score. Sias Ebersohn needed to convert for what looked at half-time like an unlikely Free State win. He did so with consummate ease, much to the delight of his team-mates.
Free State outscored Province three tries to nil and we full value for their win.
Scorers:
For Free State:
Tries: Coenie Oosthuizen, Gerhard Landman, Erik le Roux
Cons: Josias Ebersohn 2
Pen: Josias Ebersohn
For Western Province:
Pens: Coenie van Wyk 7
Referee: George Roper
Golden Lions vs Mpumalanga, 23-9
The Golden Lions did not live up to their top billing at the 43rd Craven Week in this game. Although they won 23-9, the Golden Lions seemed to be a little lost without their inspirational leader Johann van Deventer, who was being rested.
The first half of this game lacked structure and was a stop-start affair. Eleven penalties were awarded, 10 of them against the Golden Lions for ruck infringements. There were ten reset scrums and the Pumas won only three of their nine lineout feeds.
The Golden Lions opened the scoring with a try by right-wing Tshepo Masuga, who had scored two in the first game. Again he showed great composure in finishing of good Golden Lions move. The Pumas gave as good as they got when they had the ball but had to rely on the boot of Marnitz Boshoff for their points. He converted two penalties.
The Golden Lions were able to score again just before half-time. The best fullback on display thus far at Craven Week, Damien Janse van Rensburg, made another telling incursion into the backline to create a try for left-wing Ivandou Daters. This left the score at 17-6 to the Golden Lions at half-time.
As is always the case with schoolboy players they were intent on playing attacking rugby but unfortunately these two teams just couldn’t get it right on the day. The second half was a drab affair, once again punctuated by mistakes, turnovers and the referee's whistle. The Golden Lions won the half two penalties to one and although they will take the win they would have been disappointed with their overall performance.
Scorers:
For Golden Lions:
Tries: Ivandou Daters, Tshepo Masuga
Cons: Justin Botha 2
Pens: Justin Botha 3
For Mpumalanga:
Pens: Marnitz Boshoff 3
Referee: Marc van Zyl
Summary of Results
Day 1
Free State vs Boland, 28-13
Golden Lions vs South Western Districts, 51-5
Limpopo vs Zimbabwe, 33-12
Mpumalanga vs Western Province, 27-19
Day 2
Blue Bulls vs Eastern Province, 41-10
Border vs Griquas, 21-15
Falcons vs Griffons, 43-31
Leopards vs KwaZulu Natal, 12-8
Namibia vs Border Country Districts, 32-11
Day 3
Boland vs Limpopo, 40-20
Free State vs Western Province, 22-21
Golden Lions vs Mpumalanga, 23-9
South Western Districts vs Zimbabwe, 40-20
