Pumas crowned champions in 14-man Final

MATCH REPORT: The Pumas were crowned South African Cup champions after beating Griquas in a Final in Nelspruit on Saturday.

Both teams were reduced to 14 men.

The home team outscored the visitors by five tries to two for a convincing 39-14 win.

The Pumas remained unbeaten throughout the season and thoroughly deserved to be crowned in their first Final on home soil.

It was a match that was turned on its head in the first 10 minutes, when prop Cebo Dlamini was red-carded for a shoulder charge into an opponent’s head.

By the time the visitors were restored to 14 men, through the 20-minute red card law trial, the Pumas were leading 19-0.

Late in the match, with only 10 minutes remaining and the Pumas leading by 25 points, the home team lost their captain, Ruwald van der Merwe, to a red card for a dangerous ruck clean-out.

* To recap all the drama, CLICK HERE!

It was a manic start, with the Pumas applying most of the early pressure.

In the eighth minute, Griquas prop Cebo Dlamini was red-carded for a dangerous tackle, a shoulder charge into the head of an opponent.

From the subsequent line-out, Pumas hooker Eduan Swart got an armchair fide over the line for the first try. Flyhalf Danrich Visagie added the conversion – 7-0.

The Pumas continued to control possession and territory.

Just short of the 20-minute mark, Pumas centre Sango Xamlashe stepped between a couple of defenders to go over for the second try. Visagie was wide of the mark this time – 12-0.

It was Xamlashe who went over for the third try in the 27th minute, brushing aside the attempted tackle by Griquas counterpart Zane Bester. Visagie added the conversion – 19-0 before the half-hour was up.

Griquas, getting more desperate with every passing minute, made more than their usual number of errors – until they were restored to 15 players as per the 20-minute red-card law trial.

Three minutes from the half-time break, Gurshwin Wehr intercepted a pass five metres from the Griquas line and sprinted the 95 metres to get the visitors on the board. George Whitehead added the conversion – 7-19.

That’s how it stayed until the break.

Two minutes into the second half, Visagie added three more points with a penalty from 40 metres out – 22-7.

That was followed by Willie Engelbrecht intercepting a pass and sprinting 40 metres for the Pumas’ fourth try. Visagie made it 29-7 with the conversion after 48 minutes.

In the 54th minute, Visagie stretched that lead to 25 points (32-7) with a second penalty.

Soon afterwards, Griquas were again reduced to 14 players, this time replacement prop Junior Banda leaving the field injured. With no more front row replacements, the scrums were reduced to uncontested set-pieces.

Dylan Maart slowed down the flood when he caught the Pumas napping with a quick-tap penalty for the visitors’ second try. Whitehead added the conversion 0 14-32.

Replacement Dewald Maritz restored the order of things for the Pumas, coming on a string angle to burst over for the fifth try. Visagie’s conversion made it 39-14 after 65 minutes.

With 10 minutes remaining, the home team was reduced to 14 men when captain Ruwald van der Merwe was red-carded for a dangerous ruck clean-out.

The game, over as a contest, now became a scrappy mess.

With time up, the Pumas won a penalty, and Visagie took aim at the posts. He pushed it wide, but it mattered not; the Pumas were crowned champions.

Man of the match: Gurshwin Wehr was the Griquas player who asked most of the questions of the Pumas defence and was also big on defence. For the Pumas, scrumhalf Ross Braude produced a snappy service and centre Sango Xamlashe produced two tries and some great cover-tackling. The forwards laid the platform, with loose forwards Willie Engelbrecht, Ruwald van der Merwe and Ntsika Finsanti at the forefront, supported by Eduan Swart. My vote goes to Pumas prop Sampie Swiegers – winning turnovers like a loose forward and winning scrum penalties at will.

The scorers

For the Pumas
Tries: Swart, Xamlashe 2, Engelbrecht, Maritz
Cons: Visagie 4
Pens: Visagie 2

For Griquas
Tries: Wehr, Maart
Cons: Whitehead 2

Red cards: Cebo Dlamini (Griquas, 8 – foul play, shoulder charge into the head of an opponent), Ruwald van der Merwe (Pumas, 70 – foul play, dangerous ruck clean-out)

Teams

Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel, 14 Lundi Msenge, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Danrich Visagie, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Ruwald van der Merwe (captain), 6 Ntsika Finsanti, 5 Jeandre Leonard, 4 Heinz Bertram, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janeke.
Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Stephan de Jager, 18 Dewald Maritz, 19 Kwanda Dimaza, 20 Andre Fouche, 21 Clinton Swart, 22 Jay-Cee Nel, 23 Stefan Coetzee..

Griquas: 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurshwin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead (captain), 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Cebo Dlamini, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Leon Lyons.
Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Athenkosi Khethani, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Bobby Alexander, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Tom Nel.

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Paul Mente, Jonathan Lottering
TMO: Egon Seconds

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• Picture credit: Johan Orton media