Hawies' Boland 'concern' after defeat to Heyneke Meyer's Eagles
ROUND FOUR WRAP: Boland suffered a disappointing 24-33 defeat to the SWD Eagles at Outeniqua Park in George on Saturday, in what was a tightly contested SA Cup clash that ultimately slipped away in the final quarter.
The defeat means the Kavaliers drop to third spot on the log but could very well end the weekend in fourth place with the Pumas playing the Valke on Sunday, March 29.
The much-improved Eagles, now coached by former Bok mentor Heyneke Meyer, move one spot up to second place behind the Griquas, who have a full house of 20 points after their 71-7 victory over the Griffons on Saturday.
At half-time, the sides were locked at 7-7 after Boland struck first through in-form left wing Xavier Mitchell, who scored his first of two tries in the match.
Boland looked to have taken a firm grip on the contest early in the second half. Captain Thurlow Marsh powered over to give the visitors momentum before the prolific Mitchell added his second and ninth of the SA Cup season to stretch the lead to 21–7 heading into the final quarter.
The Eagles began to assert themselves at scrum time and through their maul, earning penalties that allowed them to play in Boland’s area of the field and put them under pressure.
Those entries into the Boland 22 were telling for the home side. SWD capitalised clinically, scoring three tries from pressure built through set-piece dominance, with loose forward Ulrich Stander leading the charge with a hat-trick.
Their ability to play to their strengths ultimately turned the tide as they overturned a 14-point deficit to claim a deserved victory.
A disappointed Boland head coach, Hawies Fourie, pointed to discipline as a key factor. The Kavaliers conceded a high number of penalties, which led to them conceding three yellow cards.
This disrupted the visitors’ momentum and forced them to play with reduced numbers for large periods.
“It was a disappointing loss for us,” Fourie lamented. “We always knew it would be a closely contested game and a tough one to win away from home. SWD have improved significantly since last year, and we respected that going into the match.
“I felt we were penalised too often to really stamp our authority on the game. We gave them too many easy entries into our 22, and they capitalised, scoring three [maul] tries from those opportunities.
“In the bigger picture, SWD used their strengths better than we did. The number of penalties we conceded played a major role in the outcome. That is something we need to look at closely, because it makes it far too easy for opposition teams to get into our 22 and apply pressure.
Fourie concluded: “Discipline remains a concern. We conceded three yellow cards, which disrupted our momentum. Those are unnecessary moments that we need to eliminate from our game.”
There is a break in the competition over the Easter weekend, allowing Boland to regroup and reset before a crucial clash against the unbeaten Suzuki Griquas in Wellington on Saturday, April 11.
With the top four teams qualifying for the Currie Cup Premier Division, every point from here on carries added significance.
*In Bloemfontein, the Cheetahs easily outclassed Eastern Province by 52-19 at Shimla Park as they bagged their second win in four starts, while the Leopards claimed their first win with a composed 31–14 victory over Border at Olen Park in Potchefstroom, in a clash between two sides desperate to break their winless run.
The Pumas wrapped the weekend’s action when they defeated Valke by 42-36 in their Sunday afternoon clash in Nelspruit.
The weekend’s results mean Griquas remain in pole position on 20 points, three clear of SWD and the Pumas (both on 17 points), while Boland fell to fourth on 15 points, two ahead of fourth-placed Cheetahs.
The leading quartet are followed by the Cheetahs on 12 points, Griffons (10), Valke (seven), Leopards (six), EP (two) and winless Border (0 points
See below for Round Four’s scores and scorers!
Griquas 71-7 Griffons
The scorers:
For Griquas:
Tries: Dylan Maart 3, Connor Mahoney 3, Tiaan Lange, Gurshwin Wehr, Zane Bester, Sako Makata, Caleb Abrahams
Cons: George Whitehead 5, Cameron Hufke 3
For Griffons:
Try: Sergio Moreira
Con: Keegan Schaefer
SWD Eagles 33-24 Boland Kavaliers
The scorers:
For SWD:
Tries: Ulrich Stander 3, Tiaan Fourie, Dylan De Leeuw
Cons: Fred Zeilinga 4
For Boland:
Tries: Xavier Mitchell 2, Thurlow Marsh
Cons: Juan Mostert 3
Pen: Mostert
Cheetahs 52-19 Eastern Province
The scorers:
For Cheetahs:
Tries: Cohen Jasper 3, Carl Wegner 2, Neels Volschenk, Munier Hartzenberg, Michael Annies
Cons: Jaco van der Walt 6
For Eastern Province:
Tries: Mpho Ntsane 2, Jaydon Bantom
Cons: Maxwell Klaasen 2
Leopards 31-14 Border Bulldogs
The scorers:
For Leopards:
Tries: Siniothando Tshontsyi 3, Jason Alexander 2
Cons: Jandre Burger 3
For Border:
Tries: Luvumo Makata, Dillan Kromhout
Cons: Mbasa Nkonki 2
Pumas 42-36 Valke
The scorers:
For Pumas:
Tries: Ntsika Fisanti 3, Gustav du Rand, Jay Cee Nel, Sango Xamlashe
Cons: Clinton Swart 6
For Valke:
Tries: Mosolwa Mafuma, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Luciano Elias, Marco Fuhri, Penalty try
Cons: Sergio Stalmeester 3
Pen: Stalmeester
