The great Currie Cup semi surprise
They even changed the tickets
It was the biggest semi-final shock in Currie Cup history – September 29, 1984 in hot and humid Durban.
Orange Free State ended second in the A Section, Natal top of the B Section in days when the sections were strictly merit-based. The semi-finals of A Section against B Section were really a sop to the B Section, a pretense to keep them believing that they were in the Currie Cup – a pretense till reality struck on that September afternoon.
The week before Free State beat Northern Transvaal 29-7 in a play-off match and the week before that they had beaten Transvaal 42-8. They were on a roll. Natal on the other hand had lost their promotion-relegation match to Northern Free State 27-10 in Welkom.
Natal top of B Section, Northern Free State bottom of A Section.
Free State went to Durban on Thursday at a time when teams usually travelled on a Friday.
Rudie Visagie was missing – playing for a World XV at Twickenham, missing after 52 matches in succession, starting on 15 May 1882,
Gawie Visagie was moved from scrumhalf to flyhalf for the match. He came into the changing room for Monday's practice and introduced himself to the team: "Naas – Naas Visagie." His drop was almost a prophecy!
The Grand Stand was being rebuilt at King's Park at the time and there were no changing rooms there. The teams changed in changing rooms between Kong's Park 2 and King's Park 3. Wynand Claassen arranged for there to be a scrumming machine on King's Park 4 and fifteen minutes before kick-off Wynand had his team pushing against a heavy scrumming machine on a back field while the backs ran around with enthusiasm in the heat. The scrumming session was especially vigorous.
By way of contrast Free State did not bother to warm up.
Onto the field the teams went, and Natal won the first scrum against the heavier pack and did not let up for the whole match. As a result their loose forwards prospered.
Within ten minutes Natal had scored three tries – two by Des McLean and one by Derek la Marque. Wynand Claassen scored the final try of the match. It was the great man's retirement year – a great way to finish taking Natal from B Section to Currie Cup final.
The victory may just have been sweeter as opposing Claassen as eighthman and captain of Free State was Gerrie Sonnekus who had replaced Claassen at eighthman in the Springbok team.
Before the match Sonnekus had put his foot in it in a television interview when he said he was looking forward to the final very much. He did not get to the final.
Scorers:
For Natal:
Tries: McLean 2, La Marque, Claassen
Cons: Reece-Edwards 2
Drop: Visagie
Pen: Reece-Edwards
For Orange Free State:
Try:
Cons: Ras 2
Pen: Ras
Teams
Natal: Hugh Reece-Edwards, Des McLean, Ronnie Haarhof, Greg Hamilton, Kobus Aucamp, Gawie Visagie, Craig Jamieson, Wyanand Claassen (captain), Derek la Marque, Peter Edmunds, André Botha, Chris Faure, Murray Dawson, Rob Hankinson, Graham Downes.
Orange Free State: Gysie Pienaar, Buks Schutte, André Greyling, Casper Wessels, Jaco Reinach, De Wet Ras, Thabo Thomas, Gerrie Sonnekus (captain), Japie Wessels, André Cloete, Nico Barnard, Boeta Nel, Flippie van der Merwe, Wessel Lightfoot, Barabas Venter.
Referee: Johan Gouws (Eastern Transvaal)
Complimentary tickets had been flown from Cape Town to Bloemfontein. They had the name of Free State on them as the finalists. These were "in case" tickets which Dawie Schoonraad, the manager of Western Province, had sent to Johan Botes of the Free State. They were the tickets for the Free State players and management, the only tickets printed up till then. The idea was that Botes could start distributing them on the Sunday if Free State made the final. If they did not make the final he was to tear them up. He tore them up!
The rooms Natal used in the Ambassador Hotel at the sea in Bantry Bay for the final had been booked in the name of Free State.
In the other semi-final Western Province beat Eastern Transvaal 53-0.
