Ken Borland

The GWK Griquas charged to the top of the Vodacom Cup North Section standings as the Leopards criminally wasted a 27-12 halftime lead to lose 42-40 at Profert Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

The towering presence of lock Ligtoring Landman loomed with great authority over the Leopards as he scored two tries including the 75th-minute effort that won the match for Griquas.

He also scored in the 32nd minute to bring Griquas back into the game after they had trailed 5-20 thanks to two early tries by the Leopards.

The home side had dominated the opening exchanges and could have led 6-0 after as many minutes but flyhalf Andre Pretorius missed two penalties. He made up for it though as he succeeded with his next seven shots at goal, as well as slotting a drop goal.

The former Springbok had a chance to snatch the spoils for the Leopards at the death, but he was wide with his 77th-minute drop goal attempt.

A seventh-minute penalty by Pretorius was followed by a try by fullback Hoffman Maritz and the conversion and a drop goal by the flyhalf as the Leopards raced into a 13-0 lead after 15 minutes.

But the home crowd knew Griquas, with top spot on the log up for grabs and coming off a defeat last weekend, would come back firing and flank Marnus Schoeman, who was never far from the ball, scored their opening try in the 18th minute.

Eighthman Henro Swart scored for the Leopards six minutes later and Pretorius converted to stretch the lead to 20-5.

Landman then scored his first try and Leopards wing Berty Visser replied and the home side went into the break 27-12 to the good.

But the second half brought a fierce comeback by Griquas. Outside centre Jean Stemmet’s elusive run led to a try two minutes after the break and his midfield partner PJ Vermeulen then scored three minutes later.

Pretorius stepped up to kick a 48th-minute penalty that stretched the Leopards’ lead to six points (30-24).

Griqualand West fullback Rudi Vogt kicked a 56th-minute penalty to make it 27-30, and astute flanker Jonathan Adendorf finally gave the visitors the lead with a try five minutes later.

The vastly-experienced Pretorius knows what pressure kicking is all about and he slotted a 65th-minute penalty to put the Leopards back in front 33-32, but they messed up from the kick-off and conceded a penalty to Vogt almost immediately.

But the Leopards were able to regain possession from the kick-off and they engineered a try to inside centre Adriaan Engelbrecht, which Pretorius converted.

But Griquas had the last say and the five log points they so desperately wanted as Landman dotted down to give them a two-point lead over the Pumas atop the North Section.

The Leopards picked up two bonus points to keep their hopes of making the quarterfinals alive, although they will have to win next weekend and hope the Lions and/or Bulls lose.

SCORERS:

Leopards – Tries: Hoffman Maritz, Henro Swart, Berty Visser, Adriaan Engelbrecht. Conversions: Andre Pretorius (4). Penalties: Pretorius (3). Drop goal: Pretorius.

GWK Griquas – Tries: Marnus Schoeman, Ligtoring Landman (2), Jean Stemmet, PJ Vermeulen, Jonathan Adendorf. Conversions: Rudi Vogt (3). Penalties: Vogt (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/vodacom-cup/news/120421/Griquas_snatch_victory

The Ford Pumas stymied the MTN Golden Lions’ top-of-the-log ambitions and kept their own Vodacom Cup hopes alive as they beat their hosts 37-33 (half-time 17-20) at CocaCola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The Lions often looked the better team and seemed to be pulling away from the visitors when their second try gave them a 20-10 lead with just three minutes of the first half remaining. But the Lions must have really resented the plucky Pumas’ ability to bounce back and the men from Mpumalanga were quick to strike after kick-offs in particular.

The opening 10 minutes saw the Pumas and Lions score tit-for-tat tries with flank Jaco Bouwer scoring for the visitors after a fantastic rolling maul and lock Hendrik Roodt charging over for the Gautengers after a fine take at the back of the lineout by eighthman JJ Gagiano.

The tightly-contested tiff also featured excellent goal-kicking by Pumas fullback Coenie van Wyk, who succeeded with all seven of his shots at goal, and Lions flyhalf Guy Cronje, whose only miss from eight attempts came off the post and led to a Pumas try!

In the 14th minute, a powerful charge by flank Stephan de Wit put the Lions on the front foot, leading to a penalty by Cronje (10-7). A high tackle on the impressive De Wit five minutes later led to another Cronje penalty (13-7) and the Pumas, who had scored their seven points in the first five minutes, were finally back on the scoreboard with eight minutes left in the first half when the excellent direct running and support play of their forwards earned Van Wyk his first penalty (13-10).

The Lions were quick to put the Pumas back under pressure, however, their good ball-retention eventually leading to the defence cracking as fullback Garth April joined the line and centre Bradley Moolman was able to go over in the left corner. Cronje’s good day with the boot was highlighted by his conversion from the touchline (20-10).

But the Lions spent the halftime break mourning a costly lapse in concentration as they failed to gather the kick-off, Pumas wing Deon Scholtz grabbing the ball and scooting over for a crucial try just befpre the interval (20-17).

Having battled gamely in their bright pink strips in the first half, the Pumas switched to grey in the second half and they were a new side. Ever quick to pounce on an opportunity, they took the lead four minutes after the break when a Cronje penalty attempt came back off the post and centre Tiaan Marx’s pace caught the Lions unawares. The former Leopards and KZN representative sprinted all the way into the Lions’ 22, Scholtz was stopped just short of the line, but the home side could not keep hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld from crashing over.

But after a strong run by Moolman, Pumas scrumhalf Shaun Venter did not show the necessary restraint at the ruck and Cronje’s penalty closed the gap to just one point (23-24).

The Lions clawed their way back into the lead in the 55th minute courtesy of another Cronje penalty (26-24), but the Pumas pounced again, counter-attacking off an up-and-under and earning Van Wyk another penalty (27-26).

With 13 minutes remaining, and with options both left and right from a midfield scrum in Lions’ territory, lock Rudi Matthee, always strong with ball in hand, made impressive ground before Bouwer reached over the ruck to score.

Van Wyk’s conversion gave the Pumas a healthy 34-26 lead, but the visitors were soon singing a different tune as the Lions came swarming back on to attack.

Some out-of-sorts basics by the Pumas put them under pressure and wing Ruan Combrinck finned his way down the right touchline for a top-class try. Cronje’s conversion was a formality and it was a one-point game (33-34) heading into the last 10 minutes.

But the Pumas once again showed that remarkable ability to strike back from the kick-off as they roared back into the Lions’ 22 and Van Wyk kicked a penalty that was enough of a buffer.

Some admirable defence in the last five minutes ensured that the Pumas’ victory was just that little bit more memorable.

Scorers

MTN Golden Lions – Tries: Hendrik Roodt, Bradley Moolman, Ruan Combrinck. Conversions: Guy Cronje (3). Penalties: Cronje (4).

Ford Pumas – Tries: Jaco Bouwer (2), Deon Scholtz, Torsten van Jaarsveld. Conversions: Coenie van Wyk (4). Penalties: Van Wyk (3).

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer said in Pretoria on Thursday that he understood star centre Jaque Fourie’s reasons for making himself unavailable for the Springboks this year.

The 29-year-old Fourie, who has been capped 69 times for South Africa since 2003, announced on Wednesday that he was unavailable for the Springboks while he completes the second year of his contract with Japanese club Kobelco Steelers.

“I respect Jaque’s thoughts in not making himself available but it’s a pity because he’s close to being the best outside centre in the world and he was definitely an integral part of my plans. But it’s very important that the players I choose are focused on the South African cause and want to play for the Springboks. If there’s pressure from their overseas clubs, then I understand,” Meyer told reporters in Pretoria on Thursday.

The new Springbok coach added, however, that the door was not closed to Fourie to make a return to the Springboks ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

“I’d like to speak again with Jaque in two years time, because we’ll be going into our World Cup plans and I hope he can still be there then.”

Meyer, who had just completed the first of three planning camps with potential Springbok players, drawn from the Cheetahs and the Lions, said however that there was plenty of talent at his disposal to replace senior players who were not available this year.

“The absence of players like Jaque is great for the youngsters and even the more experienced guys – I’ve told the players that even if they’re 29 and haven’t yet played for the Springboks, that they still have a chance of being chosen. There were one or two players at this camp that I haven’t worked with before and I can see that they are great players. There’s enough depth in South African rugby,” Meyer said.

“I’ve had one-on-ones with every player and they know where they stand and I now understand their roles in their franchises and why they do certain things. I have much more insight into them, which is great, and they know exactly what I want.”

Former Blue Bulls and Leicester coach Meyer said he had concerns over the number of injuries to experienced Springboks who were potential successors to the retired John Smit as captain.

“There’ve been a lot of injuries – guys like Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Jean de Villiers are all out of action – while there’s been speculation about Victor Matfield playing again and Fourie du Preez isn’t back yet from Japan. I want to give every player the same opportunity to captain South Africa and I’m not going to rush and make a wrong decision. So I’ll announce the captain the week before the first England test and he’ll be captain only for those three tests,” Meyer said.

Senior Springboks like scrumhalf Du Preez, lock Bakkies Botha and utility forward Danie Rossouw have all signed with overseas clubs and Meyer said he was in negotiations with them, their clubs and agents about their availability.

Meyer on Thursday announced a list of 45 players from the Bulls and Sharks, who both have SuperRugby byes next week, to attend the second planning camp, in Pretoria from Sunday to next Thursday.

Planning camp squad – Forwards: Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Dale Chadwick, Steven Sykes, Jan-André Marais, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Willem Alberts, Ryan Kankowski, Lubabalo Mtembu (all Sharks), Dean Greyling, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Werner Kruger, Frik Kirsten, Flip van der Merwe, Juandre Kruger, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Deon Stegmann, CJ Stander, Jacques Potgieter, Dewald Potgieter, Pierre Spies, Arno Botha (all Bulls). Backs: Charl McLeod, Pat Lambie, Odwa Ndungane, Sibusiso Sithole, Tim Whitehead, JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo, Louis Ludik, Riaan Viljoen (all Sharks), Francois Hougaard, Jano Vermaak, Morné Steyn, Bjorn Basson, Wynand Olivier, Francois Venter, Johann Sadie, JJ Engelbrecht, Akona Ndungane, Zane Kirchner (all Bulls).

The Canterbury Crusaders have been cleared off all charges of eye-gouging by SuperRugby ruling body Sanzar following the issuing of two white cards against them after allegations made by the Northern Bulls in their match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Although there has been no official word from Sanzar, Bulls spokesman Ian Schwartz issued a statement on the franchise’s website on Monday saying “no evidence of eye-gouging was found by Sanzar’s judiciary system”.

According to the statement, no evidence was found by citing commissioner Freek Burger by analysing various video replays of the two incidents in which Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and lock Flip van der Merwe claimed they were fouled by the Crusaders.

Schwartz said there would be no apology by the Bulls, despite comments by Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder after the game that he expected an apology if the allegations were not proven.

“For them to suggest we must now apologise, just because there is no video evidence available, would mean we have lied. It is ridiculous to suggest that every time there is a citing and there is not enough evidence, the other team should apologise,” Schwartz said.

“The rules are clear and we applied them 100% correctly. We had the right to raise the matter with the referee and we accept the fact that there was no video evidence.

“I just want to say that our players’ integrity is just as important to us as the Crusaders’ players integrity is to them. I feel the players will not make unfounded accusations unless something has happened,” Schwartz added.