Craven Week: EP win great match
What a marvellous match! Eastern Province won but South Western Districts also won, just by being part of this great occasion, one of the best Craven Week matches ever.
The two teams that played the final match in 2014 met in their first match in 2015 and again Eastern Province won but as a match it was better than the crowning match of last year. It was brilliant, the skills of the two teams outstanding.
South Africa was keen to see Curwin Bosch in action, reputedly the most expensive schoolboy ever, and he did not disappoint, scoring 21 points and doing so much. In fact this match owed much to its flyhalves and they in turn owed so much to their scrumhalves who in turn owed much to their forwards, but it was the speed and accuracy of the passing of the scrumhalves that made it possible for teams to play rugby of this calibre – long quick, accurate passes with both hands from the ground and usually to the flyhalf. If you want to see the value of the scrumhalf's pass, watch this match, watch Louis Strydom and Eckhard Leicher.
But then it was more than that – the enthusiasm of two teams to run and score tries, from two outstanding runners in Riaan van Rensburg and Darren Adonis at the back to CJ van Niekerk and Andrew Kuhn up front.
Really both sides won; Eastern Province just scored more points.
The first half was wonderful enough as Eastern Province ended it leading 15-3 but the second half, when 54 points were scored, 26 by Eastern Province and 28 by South Western Districts.
Each side scored four tries but the difference was the Bosch boot, which included three dropped goals one from 42 metres in the first half and two from 40 metres in the second – soaring drops. But that was not the sum total of his skill. There was also his running, his handling, his vision and his kicking for distance. He is the complete flyhalf.
It was Bosch who set up the first try when he drew opponents and gave a perfect pass to fullback Van Rensburg who burst over. 5-0 after 3 minutes. The other star when it came to scoring and making scores as Manie Libbok of South Western Districts. He goaled a penalty 5-3.
But it became a pattern of the match that when South Western Districts scored, Eastern Province did so too. This time it was tall No.8 Kwezi Mafu to make it 12-3 after 25 minutes. The only other score of the half was a Bosch drop. But it was not all and twice South Western Districts seemed about the score – first down the left and then at close quarters from a five-metre line-out when Leicher was almost over and they were then held up over the line.. Bosch raced down the right in counter attack and chipped, but the ball beat him into touch-in-goal.
The second half promised to be a kaleidoscope of tries. There were four in seven minutes after Eastern Province had lost Malan Marais, a substitute for Duan du Plessis, to the sin bin.
From a line-out in their own half, Libbok broke on the outside and Luvuyo Ndevu scored. 15-10 after 41 minutes. Then Heino Bezuidenhout broke and Mohamed Connelly scored. 22-10 after 43 minutes. Libbok broke again and there was a weave of passing involving Darryl Kameel Logan Stoffels and the scorer Libbok who was twice involved. 22-17 after 46 minutes. But still it was not the end of the fireworks. South Western Districts Kicked deep into the Eastern Province half and Bosch started running. He broke and Lubabalo Dobela scored. 29-17 after 48 minutes and it seemed as if more was on the way.
South Western Districts attacked down the right. But someone knocked on and Bosch grabbed the ball and ran from his own line and it was only a desperate cross tackle by Libbok on Dobela that saved a try. The tackle was high and Bosch goaled the long, difficult kick. 32-17 after 53 minutes. And a Bosch drop made it 35-17 five minutes later.
On attack South Western Districts won and Eastern Province line-out and bashed at the line till Christo Hamman forced his way over for a try which he converted. 35-24 with 10 minutes to play.
From a long way out South Western Districts attacked and Adonis skated through and passed inside to Libbok who scored under the posts and dropped the conversion over despite the cramp that was attacking his legs. 35-31 with five minutes to play.
But Bosch calmed things down first with a drop and then with a straightforward penalty.
It was so sad when the final whistle suddenly sounded.
Man of the Match: Curwin Bosch.
Scorers:
For Eastern Province
Tries: Riaan van Rensburg, Khewzi Mafu, Mohamed Connelly, Lubabalo Dobela.
Cons: Curwin Bosch 3.
Pens: Curwin Bosch 2.
Drop Kicks: Curwin Bosch 3.
For South Western Districts:
Tries: Manie Libbok 2, Christo Hamman, Luvuyo Ndevu.
Cons: Manie Libbok 4.
Pen: Manie Libbok.
Teams:
Eastern Province: 15 Riaan van Rensburg, 14 Lubabalo Dobela, 13 Heino Bezuidenhout, 12 Sihle Njezula, 11 Mohamed Connelly, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Strydom, 8 Kwezi Mafu, 7 Ruben Pretorius, 6 Duan du Plessis, 5 Michael de Marco (captain), 4 Ruben le Roux, 3 Zaci Sandi, 2 André Lategan, 1 CJ van Niekerk
Replacements: 16 Arno le Roux, 17 Siwe Masosiwe, 18 Pieter van Taak, 19 Kamva Dilima, 20 Malan Marais, 21 Denni Kleu, 22 Khanyo Mafunda.
South Western Districts: 15 Darren Adonis, 14 Darryl Kameel, 13 Manie Libbok, 12 JP Duvenhage, 11 Logan Stoffels, 10 Christo Hamman, 9 Eckhard Leicher, 8 Levuyo Ndevu, 7 Kurtley de Laan, 6 Bertie de Bod, 5 Ewan Coetzee, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Roux Swart, 2 HP van Schoor, 1 Andrew Kuhn
Replacements 16 Nevada Jacobs, 17 Hermanus Botha, 18 Chrisjan du Toit, 19 Justin Levendal, 20 Ruan Steyn, 21 Bradley Kiewietz, 22 Daine Kannemeyer.
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys, Oregopotse Rametsi
TMO: Fernando Uithaler
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