SA teams see off Euro opposition in Bloem
WRAP: The Cheetahs and Griquas maintained their unbeaten starts to the Toyota Challenge, making it two wins from two, while the Pumas bounced back in style during Round Two action in Bloemfontein.
Frans Steyn’s Cheetahs recorded a commanding 47-12 victory over Romania A in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Having impressed in Round One, the Free Staters delivered another polished performance, scoring six tries to secure top spot in the competition standings.
Prince Nkabinde was the standout performer, crossing the whitewash three times as the hosts dominated proceedings.
The Cheetahs made a dream start when De-an Ackermann opened the scoring within minutes of kick-off. Tiaan Swanepoel added the extras before Nkabinde dotted down for his first try soon after, extending the lead to 14-0.
Romania A responded through Jason Tomane to reduce the deficit, but the Cheetahs remained in control. Nkabinde grabbed his second try in the 26th minute to restore his side’s 14-point advantage.
Ethan Wentzel then crossed on the stroke of half-time as the hosts took a comfortable 28-7 lead into the break.
Romania A showed more intent after the restart but struggled to contain the Cheetahs’ attacking threat. Nkabinde completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute, further extending the home side’s advantage.
Hinckley Vaovasa replied for the visitors, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as the Cheetahs finished strongly.
Thabang Mahlasi and Gideon van der Merwe added late tries, while Cohan Jasper kept the scoreboard ticking over with the boot as the Cheetahs cruised to a convincing 47-12 victory.
*The Griquas continued their impressive winning run with another emphatic 56-21 victory over Georgia’s Black Lion in what was regarded as one of the toughest matches of the day.
Fresh from a 35-20 win over Romania A on Friday, the Griquas outscored the Europeans eight tries to three to secure the victory.
It was a dream start for the South Africans, who dominated the opening exchanges and raced into a 28-0 lead by half-time.
They score four tries in the first 35 minutes.
Black Lion finally enjoyed a sustained spell of possession in the closing minutes of the first half and put the Griquas under pressure. The South Africans conceded a string of penalties at the breakdown, but their defence held firm.
The Georgians produced a number of strong carries, yet the Griquas stood their ground and kept the visitors scoreless heading into the break.
Black Lion struggled to find any rhythm throughout the contest. A knock-on deep inside their own 22 handed the Griquas an attacking scrum and, after a series of powerful carries, they crashed over to extend the lead to 35-0.
The visitors eventually got on the scoreboard in the 53rd minute, scoring the Black Lion’s opening try.
The Griquas responded immediately, however, before Black Lion struck again for their second try of the afternoon.
The Georgians were often their own worst enemies, with ill-discipline proving costly as the Griquas capitalised. Caleb Abrahaams dotted down in the corner to stretch the lead to 56-14.
As they had done at the end of the first half, Black Lion finished strongly. The visitors powered over for their third try of the match, but it proved little more than a consolation as the Griquas cruised to another impressive Toyota Challenge victory.
*The Pumas bounced back in impressive fashion in their second outing, defeating Portugal’s Lusitanos 57-24 in the Toyota Challenge.
Jimmy Stonehouse’s side had opened their campaign with a disappointing 36-46 defeat, but they responded emphatically to secure a convincing victory.
The result handed the Lusitanos their second defeat on South African soil and underlined the Pumas’ resilience following their opening-round setback.
Griquas 56-21 Black Lion
Pumas 57-24 Lusitanos
Cheetahs 47-12 Romania A
