Ken Borland

The worst fears that the Griffons have dropped out of Absa Currie Cup First Division contention were confirmed in Welkom on Friday as they lost 36-39 to an after-the-hooter penalty by Juan Kotze of the Valke.

The Griffons, who won their first four matches to set the early pace in the competition, squandered a strong first-half showing and a 22-5 lead to lose their fourth successive game and leave themselves in danger of slipping out of the top four if the SWD Eagles beat the Border Bulldogs on Friday night.

The Valke’s victory was only sealed in the 82nd minute when replacement flyhalf Juan Kotze slotted a 38-metre penalty after Griffons flank Martin Sithole had been caught playing the ball in a ruck while on his knees. This had followed his knock-on which had given the visitors a scrum as normal time finished. This was a horrible ending for the hard-working Sithole, who had enjoyed a fine match before that.

The Valke made the first strike in the game when prop Nicky Engelbrecht went over in the third minute, but this was a false dawn for the Eastern Gautengers as the Griffons scored four tries in reply in the next half-hour.

Engelbrecht’s opposite number, Rudi Britz, was the first to have his say when he rumbled through some lacklustre defending to score, fullback Hansie Graaff having provided a lovely inside-ball to the front-rower.

Graaff was once again pulling the strings just two minutes later when another silky inside pass sent Sithole bursting through and the flank did well to find talismanic Griffons eighthman Nicky Steyn, who dotted down.

The men from the Goldfields were playing like millionaires and, midway through the first half, Steyn, Welkom’s own version of Samson, stormed through the midfield to score his second try.

Graaff was back in the limelight again with seven minutes to go before half-time as he dummied and then dabbed a lovely ball through for wing Reinhardt Erwee to claim and score the Griffons’ fourth try and first bonus point.

But from then on it was an uphill struggle for the Griffons. They produced plenty of flashy rugby, but too many passes slipped from their fingers and the Valke, who had looked like fish out of water in the northern Free State, capitalised on the mistakes.

Centre Thabang Molefe dropped a pass in the shadow of his own poles and, from the resulting scrum, replacement halfback Anrich Richter squirmed and slivered his way over the tryline.

But the home side were still calling the tune at half-time with a 22-10 lead.

But a top-class second half saw the Valke draw level, take the lead, lose the lead and then win the game at the death.

A dropped pass on attack by the Griffons allowed a counter-attack, centre Willie Odendaal racing away and finding fullback JW Bell, who threw a dummy out wide before winning a race to the line with opposite number Graaff.

Busy replacement wing Jaco Oosthuizen then rushed up to force a lineout from his pinpoint up-and-under and, even though the Valke lost their own throw, a sleepy scrumhalf meant they were able to regain possession. A series of big forward drives then took the Valke to under the poles, where they earned a penalty. Bell wasted no time in tapping and dashing over the line past some dazed defenders.

Flyhalf Karlo Aspeling kicked the easy conversion and the Valke were back level at 22-22.

The situation only became worse for the Griffons as Erwee was yellow-carded for holding a man back off the ball as the Valke roared back across the home side’s 22. The penalty was kicked to touch, the lineout won and, after some strong driving play, Richter sniped across the line for his second try.

The scores were level again, though, with 18 minutes remaining when the Griffons second row combined for a fine try – Joubert Horn broke straight through to put the Northern Free Staters on attack, Chris Ehlers muscling over for the try.

The Griffons reclaimed the lead in the 66th minute when Philip Burger, the former Cheetahs and SA Sevens speedster, burst through a gap and sent a lovely long pass out to Sithole, who bumped off a tackler before feeding replacement scrumhalf Oshwill Nortje, who sped away on the angle for the corner and the try.

Graaff’s angled conversion made the score 36-29, but the Valke used their powerful ball-carriers to bash their way back into the Griffons 22. They earned the penalty and Bell once again tapped and dashed to embarrass defenders who were admiring the countryside rather than guarding their tryline.

Kotze’s conversion tied the game up and then came the disappointing final minute for the Griffons, who are rapidly heading down the log after their wonderful start to the campaign.

The Griffons are facing a long, hard struggle if they are to reach the semi-finals now.

SCORERS

GRIFFONS – Tries: Rudi Britz, Nicky Steyn (2), Reinhardt Erwee, Chris Ehlers, Oshwill Nortje. Conversions: Tiaan van Wyk, Hansie Graaff (2).

VALKE – Tries: Nicky Engelbrecht, Anrich Richter (2), JW Bell (3). Conversions: Karlo Aspeling (2), Juan Kotze. Penalty: Kotze.

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120817/Late_Kotze_penalty_gives_Valke_win

The Lions were relegated from SuperRugby on Thursday by the South African Rugby Union (Saru) General Council following the Johannesburg-based team’s last-placed finish in this year’s competition.

A statement released by Saru on Thursday said “the top four teams in the South African Conference in 2012 (Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Cheetahs) will join the Southern Kings in the 2013 tournament. The teams were confirmed after the general meeting accepted a proposal first tabled by the executive council in January. The proposal was that the franchise occupying the lowest log position of the five franchises at the end of 2012 would be relegated.”

Saru also confirmed, however, that the Kings, based in the Eastern Cape, would only be guaranteed one year in the competition that also includes New Zealand and Australian franchises, with the Lions playing a two-legged promotion/relegation match against the team that finishes last in the South African Conference in 2013.

None of the teams that will comprise the Southern Kings franchise – Eastern Province, South-Western Districts and Border – play in the domestic Currie Cup Premier Division, and neither have they managed to win the same tournament’s B Division in recent years.

But Saru president Oregan Hoskins defended the general council’s decision, saying that the sheer quantities of players produced in the Eastern Cape region meant they deserved to play at an elite level.

“All rugby provinces have been consistently in support of the need for an Eastern Cape team in the Super Rugby competition,” Hoskins said in the statement. “That decision was first taken in 2005 but their inclusion has twice been postponed.
“We made a commitment to the Kings to include them in 2013 and rugby has delivered on that commitment. The franchise represents more clubs than any other region – apart from the Stormers – and contains numerous leading rugby schools. It has been starved of top-class rugby competition for a decade-and-a-half and now it has the chance to show what it can do.”

Saru CEO Jurie Roux claimed that the bulk of South Africa’s SuperRugby players also supported the move.

“The provinces asked for a rugby solution and we believe that this was the fairest and most transparent method to respond to what is undoubtedly a less-than-ideal situation,” Roux said. “We also canvassed SuperRugby players before the start of the season, through the Players’ Association, and this was their preferred mechanism.

“The decision to apply a promotion and relegation system from 2013 is standard practice in sport. We operate promotion and relegation in all our Currie Cup competitions, with the bottom-placed team being relegated unless it wins a play-off. Our strategic goal is to have six strong franchises covering the whole of South Africa and this decision keeps all of them in play on an annual basis,” said Roux.

The Lions, who are already in financial difficulty after falling out with their equity partners last year, now face an uncertain future but have said the majority of their squad are on long-term contracts.

The general council, made up of South Africa’s 14 provinces spread between the two Currie Cup divisions, rejected a suggestion that the Kings delay their introduction into SuperRugby until 2016, when a new broadcast contract is in place, in return for a financial boost and the guarantee of more than one year’s participation.

The Saru statement made no mention of any financial support being given to the Lions, who are a 123-year-old union based in South Africa’s largest city but now face massive financial losses due to their exclusion from SuperRugby.

Lions president Kevin de Klerk said the Kings had been gifted SuperRugby participation without earning their place.

“We are extremely disappointed at this result. This is a very unfortunate decision which will result in a team taking part in a competition without needing to qualify on rugby merits,” De Klerk said.

The Lions won just three of their 16 SuperRugby matches this year, and have won just 12 of their last 71 games in the competition.

The Regent Boland Cavaliers staged a daring comeback to beat the Border Bulldogs 39-32 (half-time 15-18) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Buffalo City Municipal Stadium in East London on Saturday.

The Cavaliers scored two tries in the last 10 minutes to snatch the victory, putting an end to the hopes the Bulldogs had of beating the defending champions, especially when they led 32-21 midway through the second half.

Boland made a mound of errors during the match and some of their tackling was more appropriate for those dancers in tutus that former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was so fond of mentioning.

Border dominated the opening stages to rack up an 18-3 lead, using their backline to great effect as wings Chrislyn van Schalkwyk and Chumani Booi both crossed for tries.

But the Cavaliers managed to claw their way back to just a three-point deficit at the break, through tries to centre Jaquin Jansen and pacy scrumhalf Neil Papier.

The action moved to-and-fro with dazzling speed in the second half, with loose forward Shane Spring opening the scoring for the Bulldogs with his try, converted by fullback Quinton Crocker.

But Jansen was not just a marvellously elusive runner in East London on Saturday, he also added some immaculate goal-kicking to his exploits and his third and fourth penalties kept Boland in touch, even though the Bulldogs ran in their second try of the second half through scrumhalf Lesley-Dean Ruiters.

The Cavaliers had been hard on attack for lengthy periods of the second half, but had been repulsed by impressive Border defence, but the visitors finally found the precision and consistency they had been searching for the whole match in the last 10 minutes.

The whole backline was involved as fullback Eric Zana ran in a superb try and Boland were finally in front when replacement centre Cheswin Williams crossed for the match-winning try in the 72nd minute.

Jansen, who did more than anyone to inspire the victory, then kicked a penalty in the dying moments to seal the win, which was hardly impressive as the Cavaliers played in fits and starts for 70 of the 80 minutes.

For the Bulldogs, scrumhalf Luiters was always in the thick of the action, but it was not enough to continue the hard times the Eastern Cape side are having in this competition.

SCORERS

Border Bulldogs – Tries: Chrislyn van Schalkwyk, Chumani Booi, Shane Spring, Lesley-Dean Luiters, Ruan Jacobs. Conversions: Quinton Crocker (2). Penalty: Crocker.

Regent Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Jaquin Jansen, Neil Papier, Eric Zana, Cheswin Williams. Conversions: Jansen (2). Penalties: Jansen (5).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120811/Boland_Cavaliers_stage_comeback_to_win

South Africa have been hit by two major injury blows, with talismanic flank Schalk Burger playing no part in the Rugby Championship and in-form backline star JP Pietersen missing the first six weeks of the competition.

Burger, capped 68 times, injured his knee in his first SuperRugby game of the season at the end of February but there has been no progress in his rehabilitation, according to Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.

“The position with Schalk is very frustrating and we are going to get a full assessment shortly from a physician on where it should be taken from here, but you can take it as read that we won’t see Schalk play before the end of this season. Without even looking at the physician’s report, we are writing him off for the year,” Coetzee was quoted as saying by the supersport.com website.

The livewire Pietersen was one of the Sharks’ standout players during their march to the SuperRugby final and was the Springboks’ chief attacking threat during the June internationals against England.

But the 26-year-old veteran of 45 tests suffered a fracture of the thumb during the weekend’s SuperRugby final against the Chiefs and will undergo surgery on Wednesday.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has recalled Stormers centre Juan de Jongh, a 2011 World Cup player and a controversial omission from the original squad, in Pietersen’s place.

The 24-year-old De Jongh made his Springbok debut against Wales in 2010 and has 10 test caps.

“We decided to pick Juan as he provides midfield cover, an area where we are perhaps a bit thin now that JP is out,” Meyer said in a statement released on Monday.

“JP was going to provide cover for us at outside centre, while JJ Engelbrecht and Francois Hougaard can also be used on the wing, especially as Bjorn Basson [ruptured intestines] is out for another six weeks.

“Losing JP is obviously a massive blow as he’s been playing some superb rugby lately, but Juan has also been in good form for the Stormers and was one of the unlucky players to miss out on initial selection. It’s great to have Juan involved as he brings new energy with him. This call-up just shows again that no player is ever completely out of the equation.”

Powerhouse Sharks flank Willem Alberts has also gone for a scan on bruised ribs after the SuperRugby final, but the return to training of Stormers eighthman Duane Vermeulen with the Western Province Currie Cup team on Monday does somewhat soothe Meyer’s loose forward concerns.

The Springboks are having a training camp in Cape Town, before playing Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener in the same city on August 18.

South Africa then play the Pumas in Argentina, in Mendoza, on August 25 before taking on Australia in Perth on September 8 and New Zealand in Dunedin on September 15.

The Springboks end their campaign at home, with matches against Australia in Pretoria on September 29 and the All Blacks in Soweto on October 6.

South Africa finished last in the abbreviated 2011 Tri-Nations, with just one win in four matches.