Record-setting MTN Golden Lions sneak into quarter-finals – Vodacom Cup Round 7 Review
Record-setting MTN Golden Lions sneak into quarter-finals – Vodacom Cup Round 7 Review
The MTN Golden Lions snuck into the Vodacom Cup quarter-finals – which will be hosted by the Steval Pumas, Sharks XV, Vodacom Blue Bulls and DHL Western Province – when they smashed a few records against the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls on Saturday.
The team from Johannesburg raised the bar this weekend with a new South African first-class record for the biggest victory ever, when they beat the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls by 161-3 (points difference of 158).
The previous record only stood for a fortnight when the Steval Pumas crushed the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls by 154-0. The Johannesburgers’ 161 was only two points shy of the most points ever scored in a first-class match in South Africa, by Lowveld over Transkei in 1994 (163-10).
Their 25 tries is also a South African first-class record, while Anthony Volmink’s nine tries for the MTN Golden Lions was one more than the previous national record, held by Mark Watson for Lowveld against Transkei in 1994.
Volmink’s 47 points – he also slotted a conversion – is a new Vodacom Cup record for the most points by one player in a single match, which was held by Naas Olivier of GWK Griquas (against the Down Touch Griffons in 2009).
The MTN Golden Lions will travel to Durban to take on the Sharks XV in their playoffs – the other three quarter-finals are between the Steval Pumas and the ICBC Pampas XV in Nelspruit, DHL Western Province and GWK Griquas in Cape Town and the Vodacom Blue Bulls and EP Kings in Pretoria.
The dates, kick-off times and venues for the four quarter-finals will be confirmed early next week.
Springbok loose forward Willem Alberts scored two tries in his first match of the season, as the Sharks XV finished the league phase of the competition with a good 46-31 win over the ICBC Pampas XV in Durban on Friday evening.
Alberts, who had been out with a shoulder injury, played 60 minutes of the match, which the KwaZulu-Natalians had sewn up at the break when they led 36-5.
DHL Western Province secured home ground advantage in the quarter-finals after a 75th minute try by Kobus van Wyk, which helped them to a 41-37 win over the Toyota Free State XV at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Four tries by the EP Kings were enough to see off a fiery Regent Boland Cavaliers by 27-23 in an exciting match at the Wesbank Stadium in Malmesbury on Saturday afternoon.
In the final match of the South Section, Karlo Aspeling was the Border Bulldogs’ hero as he kicked 20 points in their 25-19 win over the SWD Eagles in George on Friday evening.
It was the Bulldogs’ second successive win of the season as the finished a somewhat disappointing 2013 campaign in style at Outeniqua Park.
The most exciting match in the North Section this weekend, was in Potchefstroom, where the Leopards XV lost by 28-29 to GWK Griquas on Friday. The team from North West subsequently crashed out of the Vodacom Cup courtesy of the MTN Golden Lions, but they put up a good fight in a tense match against the team from the Northern Cape.
GWK Griquas was too strong for the Valke and won by 40-7 in Kempton Park, with Janro van Niekerk recording a hat-trick of tries – an impressive feat for a prop.
The fourth North Section match of the weekend was a one-sided affair at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the Vodacom Blue Bulls scored 13 tries as they crushed the Down Touch Griffons by 89-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Sharks XV 46 (36) ICBC Pampas XV 31 (5)
Sharks XV – Tries: Willem Alberts (2), Jaco van Tonder, Kotaro Matsushima, Marius Joubert, Robbie Harris. Conversions: Fred Zeilinga (5). Penalty goals: Zeilinga (2).
ICBC Pampas XV – Tries: Juan Pablo Estelles (2), Leonardo Senatore, Mariano Galarza, Ramiro Moyano. Conversions: Benjamin Madero (2), Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias.
Leopards XV 28 (6) v Steval Pumas 29 (13)
Leopards XV – Tries: Brendon Snyman, Henro Swart, Hoffman Maritz. Conversions: Adriaan Engelbrecht (2). Penalty goals: Warren Gilbert (3).
Steval Pumas – Tries: Rosko Specman, Uzair Cassiem, Vincent Koch. Conversion: Carl Bezuidenhout. Penalty goals: Bezuidenhout (4).
SWD Eagles 19 (12) Border Bulldogs 25 (12)
SWD Eagles – Tries: Alshaun Bock, Clinton Wagman, Martin du Toit. Conversions: Elric van Vuuren, Jeff Taljard.
Border Bulldogs – Try: Chrislyn van Schalkwyk. Conversion: Karlo Aspeling. Penalty goals: Aspeling.
Vodacom Blue Bulls 89 (26) Down Touch Griffons 10 (3)
Vodacom Blue Bulls – Tries: Nardus van der Walt (2), Rohan Janse van Rensburg (2), Dries Swanepoel (2), Wiaan Liebenberg, Jacques du Plessis, Courtnall Skosan, Vainon Willis, Clayton Blommetjies, Tony Jantjies, Sampie Mastriet. Conversions: Willie du Plessis (8), Jantjies (4).
Down Touch Griffons – Try: Aubrey McDonald. Conversion: Hansie Graaff. Penalty goal: Graaff.
Valke 7 (0) GWK Griquas 40 (21)
Valke – Try: Sandile Ngcobo. Conversion: Jaun Kotze.
GWK Griquas – Tries: Enrico Acker, Janro van Niekerk (3), Leon Karemaker (2). Conversions: Pieter-Steyn de Wet (5).
MTN Golden Lions 161 (74) Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls 3 (3)
MTN Golden Lions – Tries: Anthony Volmink (9), Ross Cronje, Jaco Kriel (2), Warren Whiteley, JP du Plessis, Lionel Cronje, Chrysander Botha (3), Julian Redelinghuys, Francois du Toit, Guy Cronje, Deon Helberg, Vian van der Watt, JJ Breedt, Dylan des Fountain. Conversions: Guy Cronje (12), Botha, Volmink, Kobus de Kock, Ross Cronje (3).
Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls – Penalty: Bronwyn Craill.
Regent Boland Cavaliers 23 (13) EP Kings 27 (8)
Regent Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Senan van der Merwe, Ashton Constant. Conversions: Jacquin Jansen (2). Penalties: Jansen (3).
Eastern Province Kings – Tries: Paul Schoeman, Stefan Willemse, Kyle van Zyl, Devin Oosthuizen. Conversions: Van Zyl (2). Penalty: Scott van Breda.
Toyota Free State XV 37 (17) DHL Western Province 41 (24)
Toyota Free State XV – Tries: Boom Prinsloo (2), Teboho Mohoje, Tewis de Bruyn. Conversions: Riaan Smit (3), Nico Scheepers. Penalties: Smit, Scheepers (2).
DHL Western Province – Tries: Berton Klaasen (2), Cheslin Kolbe, Michael van der Spuy, Kobus van Wyk. Conversions: Kurt Coleman (5). Penalties: Coleman (2).
Vodacom Cup Logs – after Round 7:
North Section
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | BPts | Pts |
| 1 | Steval Pumas | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 414 | 131 | 283 | 60 | 15 | 5 | 29 |
| 2 | Vodacom Blue Bulls | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 435 | 159 | 276 | 59 | 20 | 8 | 28 |
| 3 | GWK Griquas | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 296 | 161 | 135 | 43 | 24 | 6 | 22 |
| 4 | MTN Golden Lions | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 320 | 154 | 166 | 47 | 17 | 5 | 21 |
| 5 | Leopards XV | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 289 | 158 | 131 | 38 | 18 | 5 | 21 |
| 6 | Down Touch Griffons | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 133 | 245 | -112 | 18 | 33 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | Valke | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 139 | 269 | -130 | 18 | 40 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 781 | -749 | 3 | 119 | 0 | 0 |
South Section
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | BPts | Pts |
| 1 | Sharks XV | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 279 | 166 | 113 | 32 | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 2 | DHL Western Province | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 208 | 153 | 55 | 26 | 20 | 5 | 27 |
| 3 | Eastern Province Kings | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 191 | 154 | 37 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 25 |
| 4 | ICBC Pampas XV | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 238 | 192 | 46 | 32 | 25 | 4 | 22 |
| 5 | Toyota Free State XV | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 195 | 190 | 5 | 25 | 22 | 9 | 17 |
| 6 | South Western Districts | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 147 | 202 | -55 | 18 | 22 | 6 | 10 |
| 7 | Border Bulldogs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 143 | 239 | -96 | 15 | 34 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | Regent Boland Cavaliers | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 151 | 256 | -105 | 19 | 32 | 3 | 9 |
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