GWK Griquas break records in Vodacom Cup – Round 3 Review
It was one-way traffic in Groblersdal where GWK Griquas broke the Vodacom Cup record for the biggest win by beating Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls 124-5. This bettered the mark set by the Leopards XV last week against the same opponents, when the North West team romped home 113-3. Griquas scored a record 20 tries and both Rocco Jansen and Marnus Schoeman (five apiece), now share the record for most tries in a match by a player with Stephen Brink and Jannie van der Walt, who did the same in 1998 and 2001 respectively.
GWK Griquas took control of the match in the first half as they scored six tries and led 38-5 at halftime. Limpopo had no answer to the structured play of the visitors as Griquas’ excellent control and their ability to recycle the ball through several phases to stretch the defense, had the hosts in complete disarray.
There were also big scores recorded in Nelspruit, where the Steval Pumas beat the Down Touch Griffons 64-7 and in Robertson where the SWD Eagles scored a very comfortable 44-12 win over the Regent Boland Cavaliers.
It was not only in Groblersdal and Robertson where the home side felt out of place, with the likes of EP Kings and MTN Lions failed to capitalize on their home ground advantage.
The SWD Eagles ran riot in the second half and scored 31 unanswered points to trounce the Regent Boland Cavaliers 44-12 at the Callie de Wet Stadium in Robertson on Saturday. Flyhalf Jeff Taljard scored 19 points with the boot via five conversions and three penalties and former Free State Cheetahs and Springbok flanker, Kabamba Floors, finished off an energetic afternoon by scoring the fifth try for the Eagles in the 64th minute of the match.
The Standard Bank Pampas continued their unbeaten run in the competition, outplaying the Border Bulldogs in a 45-26 win in Stellenbosch on Saturday, claiming a bonus point along with the convincing win. The Bulldogs are yet to win a game this season and remain at the bottom of the South Section log. Five tries in the first half put the Pampas in control with Jeronimo de la Fuente scoring twice while Benjamin Madero slotted two conversions.
Things were much tighter in Durban though, where The Sharks XV scored two late tries to pip the Free State XV 34-33. S’burra Sithole and Franco Marais scored in the last ten minutes for the hosts, and even though the visitors scored a last-minute touchdown, it wasn’t enough to deny the Sharks a full haul of five points. Fred Zeilinga, the young pivot for the Sharks XV, slotted all his kicks in tough conditions and added a try in a personal haul of 19 points. He is the leading points’ scorer in the competition with 60 points.
Earlier, in the other South Section match, there was much relief in Cape Town with defending Vodacom Cup champions, DHL Western Province, finally getting it right for their first win of the season when they outplayed the EP Kings in Port Elizabeth. Flanker Chris Cloete ran in a hat-trick to help put away the home side 43-18 on Friday night. Five tries in the first half all but sealed the win for the visitors and their 31-18 lead at the break was extended by the trusted boot of Gary van Aswegen in the second half, with the replacement fly-half kicking three penalties and a dropped goal.
Up north the rampant Steval Pumas ran in ten tries in comprehensively beating the Down Touch Griffons 64-7 at the Nelspruit rugby club on Saturday. The Pumas dominated every aspect of the game, but the final score might have flattered them a tad as the Griffons could not convert several promising opportunities into tries. Pumas captain Corné Steenkamp was an inspirational presence for the hosts with his excellent support play. Roscoe Speckman and Faf de Klerk were arguably the two best backline players on view as the Nelspruit faithful saw some excellent movements by the Pumas.
At Ellis Park, where his older brother normally rules, Tony Jantjies scored 27 points as the Vodacom Blue Bulls thumped the MTN Golden Lions 54-26. He kicked five conversions, four penalties (including three in the first seven minutes) and scored a try as the men from Pretoria ran riot. It was a fantastic display by the flyhalf who directed the backline like a true general does his troops. The hosts had no answer to the sweeping open play of the visitors and the Blue Bulls played some magnificent running rugby.
On Friday, former Springbok flyhalf Andrè Pretorius turned back the clock with a polished performance to steer the Leopards to a comfortable 47-16 win over the Valke in Potchefstroom. Pretorius landed six out of seven conversions for a personal haul of 12 points. The home side scored three tries after only 11 minutes and with more than an hour to play the result was already beyond doubt. Pretorius, who played the last of his 31 test matches nearly six years ago, calmly dictated matters with great tactical awareness behind a dominant pack. The Valke were a fumbling mess and were strangely subdued a week after they had beaten the Golden Lions in Brakpan.
All the scorers (click on the link for the match breakdown):
Standard Bank Pampas 45 (24) Border 26 (9)
Standard Bank Pampas – Tries: Jeronimo de la Fuente (2), Matias Massero, Benjamin Macom, Santiago Cordero, Cesar Fruttero, Penalty Try. Conversions: Benjamin Madero (3), Santiago Gonzales Iglesias.
Border – Tries: Quinton Crocker, Juan Pretorius, Johannes Seerane. Conversions: Karlo Aspelling, Penalties: Karlo Aspelling (3).
Steval Pumas 64 (26) Down Touch Griffons 7 (7)
Steval Pumas – Tries: Roscoe Speckman (2), Faf de Klerk (2), Frankie Herne (2), TJ Steenkamp, Karl Bezuidenhout, Stefan Watermeyer, JW Bell, Wilhelm Loock. Conversions: Tiaan Marx (4), Bezuidenhout (3).
Down Touch Griffons – Try: Andries Mahoney. Conversion: Hansie Graaff.
Regent Boland Cavaliers 12 (12) SWD Eagles 44 (13)
Regent Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Albert Trytsman, PJ van Zyl. Conversion: Garth April.
SWD Eagles – Tries: Johan Herbst, Deroy Rhoode, Lyndon Hartnick, Kabamba Floors, Penalty Try. Conversions: Jeff Taljard (5), Penalties: Taljard (3).
Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls 5 (5) GWK Griquas 124 (38)
GWK Griquas – Tries: Marnus Schoeman (5), Rocco Jansen (5), Luzuko Vulindlu (2), Enrico Acker, Penalty Try, Deon Carney, Jaco Coetzee, Leon Karemaker, Justin Downey, Francois Brummer, Richard Lawson. Conversions: Francois Brummer (12).
Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls – Try: Ruan Muller.
MTN Golden Lions 26 (19) Vodacom Blue Bulls 54 (30)
MTN Golden Lions – Tries: Ruhan Nel, Ashlon Davids (2), Harold Vorster. Conversions: Davids (3).
Vodacom Blue Bulls – Tries: Wiaan Liebenberg (2), Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Tony Jantjies, Heinrich Steyl, Penalty Try. Conversions: Jantjies (5), Ulrich Beyers. Penalties: Jantjies (4).
Sharks XV 34 (20) Toyota Free State XV 33 (18)
Sharks XV – Tries: Sizo Maseko, Fred Zeilinga, S’burra Sithole, Franco Marais. Conversions: Zeilinga (4). Penalties: Zeilinga (2).
Toyota Free State XV – Tries: Rossouw de Klerk, Joubert Engelbrecht, Elandre Huggett, Freddie Ngoza. Conversions: Tewis de Bruyn (2). Penalties: De Bruyn (3).
EP Kings 18 (8) DHL Western Province 43 (31)
EP Kings: Tries: Boetie Britz, Mpho Mbiyozo. Conversion: Wesley Dunlop. Penalties: Dunlop (2).
DHL Western Province: Tries: Ruan Botha, Chris Cloete (3), Cheslin Kolbe. Conversions: Tim Swiel (3). Penalties: Gary van Aswegen (3). Drop Goal: Van Aswegen.
Leopards XV 47 (26) Valke 16 (13)
Leopards XV – Tries: BG Uys, Danie Dames, Edmar Marais, Jacques Olivier, Morné Hanekom (2), Akker van der Merwe. Conversions: Andrè Pretorius (6).
Valke – Try: Friedle Olivier. Conversion: Wesley Roberts. Penalty: Roberts. Drop-Goal: Juan Kotze.
For a complete log of the North and South Sections, click here
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