Craven Week: WP just beat BB

The old foes met at the Markötter Stadium in Stellenbosch on Monday, the main match of the of the opening day of the 2015 Craven Week, and the southern foes beat the northern foes 20-13.

In fact you would not have thought that  they were warlike foes at all, as both sides did what the laws require – played the game in a sporting spirit with not an angry glance, not even at the referee. There seems no doubt that rugby, as it was in the beginning, is best as a schools game.

The main match came after the opening ceremony with speeches by Oregan Hoskins, the President of SARU, Thelo Wakefield and the President of Western Province, and they encouraged the players to go on to become Springboks and enjoy the week.

It was something of a surprise that no mention was made of Piet Malan, whose idea Craven Week was and who died eight days ago.

While the speeches were made, the players stood in their team groups behind their team flag in the biting wind of a winter's day at the Cape. But when the two sides started their match, they were clearly warm enough and motivated enough to play with great intensity. It was a match that started with high tempo. It did not last but it was always a stern contest.

Western Province dominated possession but the Blue Bulls had their chances as well and ended scoring two tries to one. The Blue Bulls' greatest weakness was the number of penalties conceded – nine in the first half to two by Western Province. This enabled scrumhalf Jondré Williams to put his boot to winning use, missing only one of six kicks at goal. The referee spoke to the Blue Bulls about their infringements at tackles – six in the first half.

The Blue Bulls also found continuity difficult and tended to pass to a forward as first choice. But when they did pass wide, strong Louritz van der Schyff accelerated through a gap opened by a powerful hand-off and scored but by then there was just a minute to play. And that minute may have been indicative of a pattern of thought.

With time up, the Blue Bulls won a tighthead at a scrum in their own 22 and kicked for touch to end the game.

Western Province on the other hand were more enterprising and enjoyed the commitment and incisiveness of two of their loose forwards – Johan Visser and Zain Davids, a flank playing eighthman.

Each side kicked an early penalty goal and after six minutes the score was 3-all.

Western Province went right where Ras gave the cleverest of passes to Tyreeq February who had a good run down the right which seemed their better attacking side, and then Williams kicked another penalty. 6-3 after 8 minutes.

Then the Blue Bulls attacked in advancing phases which saw centre Stedman Gans looking sharp. The attack was muffled but suddenly the ball went left to Gans who slipped. He slipped and two defenders slipped but Gans was up to score. 8-6 to the Blue Bulls after 14 minutes.

Western Province kicked a kickable penalty out for a five-metre line-out and then lost the ball. But they kicked another penalty out for a five-metre line-out and drove at the line but the Blue Bulls stopped them just short. That gave Western Province a five-metre scrum,. They went wide but wing Abner van Reenen won a turnover and his side cleared.

The Blue Bulls were again penalised at a tackle. 9-8 after 20 minutes. Then they got a score from an attacking line-out. They kicked a penalty out six metres from the Blue Bulls line and went wide and a long pass by Davids sent Nico Leonard flying over for a try in the left corner. 14-8 and then on half-time Williams made it 17-8.

The Blue Bulls had a better second half as they played with greater cohesion. (Cohesion should have come easily to them as seven of their forwards were from Affies but although they were heavier Western Province had the better of them in the scrums.)

A penalty gave the Blue Bulls and attacking line-out and they bashed at the resilient defence. They got over the line but were held up and from the ensuing five-metre scrum they bashed some more but Western Province held their maul up for a scrum five metres from their own line.

This scrum was agony. It was reset no fewer than six times. From the time it was awarded till the ball was played was 4 minutes 35 seconds, over 6% of the match.

When the ball was eventually played Williams kicked the ball into touch but it was from this line-out that the Blue Bulls suddenly went wide and Van der Schyff scored the try that lifted the score to 20-13 with less than a minute to play.

The kick into touch was the whimper that ended the match.

Scorers

For Western Province:

Try: Nico Leonard

Pens: Jondré Williams 5

For Blue Bulls:

Tries: Stedman Gans, Louritz van der Schyff    

Pen: Andell Loubser

Man of the Match: Jondré Williams

Teams

Blue Bulls: 15 Andell Loubser, 14 Abner van Reenen, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Louritz van der Schyff, 11 Austin Davids, 10 Eddie Fouché, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Eduan Lubbe, 7 Phillip Krause, 6 Regardt du Plessis, 5 Henk Pretorius, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Chergin Fillies, 2 Schalk Erasmus, 1 Cabous Eloff

Replacements: 16 Jeandré Jones, 17 Luyolo Qinela, 18 Niel Bezuidenhout, 19 PJ Steenkamp, 20 Wayne van der Bank, 21 Runan Venter, 22 Snowy Zondani

Western Province: 15 Joshua Vermeulen, 14 Tyreeq February, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 George Lourens, 11 Nico Leonard, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jondré Williams, 8 Zain Davids, 7 Ernst van Rhyn (Captain), 6 Johan Visser, 5 Salmaan Moerat, 4 Ruben de Villiers, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Ashwyn Adams

Replacements: 16 Shane Farmer, 17 Leo Kruger, 18 Wikus Groenewald, 19 Khanya Ncusane, 20 Brandon Salomo, 21 Cornel Smit, 22 Ryan Muller

The numbers the players actually wore differed, as Ernst van Rhyn wore 6, Zain Davids 7, George Lourens 21, Nico Leonard 22, Salmaan Moerat 19, Khanya Ncusane 8, which are team numbers. And then Lourens returned wearing 23.

Referee: Oregopotse Rametsi

Assistant referees: Archie Sehlako, AJ Jacobs

TMO: Renier Vermeulen

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