Ken Borland

It was a scintillating Saturday for left wing Seabelo Senatla at Loftus Versfeld as he scored a magnificent try and set up a brilliant second one as Western Province beat the Blue Bulls 23-18 in an entertaining Absa Currie Cup match.

Western Province bided their time, defending superbly as the Bulls dominated territory for long periods, and when they struck it was potent and clinical.

While the Bulls’ attack was mostly narrow, their forwards driving and mauling the ball up ad infinitum, Western Province kept their width and weren’t afraid to use it.

And the Bulls erred enough times while on attack to provide the visitors with counter-attacking opportunities. One of those was on the hour mark when wing Sampie Mastriet coughed up possession and Western Province fullback Cheslin Kolbe ran the turnover ball across the field and linked up with Senatla, who was holding position out wide on the 22m line.

Senatla had space, which is a recipe for disaster when defending against the Sevens star, and he embarked on a dazzling 80m run that saw him ignominiously burn William Small-Smith on the outside, before dancing infield and then bursting through Jesse Kriel’s tackle to score a try that will be remembered for many a day.

That brilliant try came just three minutes after Western Province had scored their first try, which was also a superb effort and possibly even more thrilling for the coaching staff because it came off a set-piece move.

From a lineout, flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis looped with eighthman Nizaam Carr and inside centre Jaco Taute then gave a super inside ball to Senatla, who came flying up from the left wing. The 21-year-old showed his wonderful feet as he danced through the gap and then fed the ball out wide to Kobus van Wyk, who had done well to keep his width, and finished with great pace himself.

Although Senatla was helped off the field soon afterwards after twisting his ankle, the injury is apparently not a major one and certainly not season-ending.

Catrakilis converted both tries and suddenly Western Province were 20-10 up when just five minutes earlier it had looked to be the Bulls’ day as they led 10-6 after a penalty by replacement flyhalf Tian Schoeman rewarded an excellent scrum by the home side.

“To play like that and to lose can make your mind go,” Bulls coach Frans Ludeke lamented after the match. “Credit to the players for a huge improvement and there were a lot of positives from that game. But we just lost momentum in the second half at crucial times, we didn’t exit well enough and there were soft moments.”

“I’m really very happy to beat a desperate Bulls side which showed a big improvement tonight, at altitude. It’s their first loss at Loftus Versfeld this year and if they’d played like that before they would have had many more points on the log. We made mistakes but it takes a tight team to pull through here,” Western Province coach Allister Coetzee said.

“Our defence is a non-negotiable, but we’ve also got the players to turn defence into attack. The outside backs were really switched on to that tonight and the half-backs also play a big role in that. We have strength, speed, guile and power in our backline and it’s a good combination.

“There’s a good balance to our play, it doesn’t depend on where we are on the field of play either, and we’re devastating at the moment from broken play,” the former Springbok assistant coach said.

The opening points of the match only came after 34 minutes of intriguing ball-in-hand action and massive defence by both sides.

A good kick by Kurt Coleman, on while Catrakilis was in the blood bin, forced the Bulls to concede a lineout just outside their 22 and the Western Province rolling maul earned the substitute flyhalf a penalty shot at goal.

Bulls flyhalf Joshua Stander  missed an easy penalty just a minute later and, after playing their best rugby of the campaign in the first half, dominating territory but hardly kicking, and pounding the advantage line, the home side would have been disappointed to have gone into the break scoreless.

Catrakilis landed a second penalty for Western Province five minutes into the second half – it came after a period of Bulls-like driving and mauling by the visitors – but it took just three more minutes for the hosts to score their first points, through a great try by storming flank Jacques du Plessis.

The Bulls were defending a lineout 30 metres from their line after a poor clearance by Kriel, but when Western Province threw over the top and eighthman Jono Ross won the ball, they again refused to just kick possession away. Instead Ross ran and found mobile lock Grant Hattingh, who burst clear into space. Mastriet then dashed down the right wing before the ball went back inside and Du Plessis charged over for an impressive try.

Stander converted and then his replacement Schoeman kicked a penalty to put the Bulls 10-6 up.

“We wanted to keep the pace and tempo of the game up, get numbers to the ball, and it was just our final passes that let us down,” Ludeke said. “We were really attacking the gainline and slowly but surely getting somewhere, but then we would give them broken field play and that’s where their tries came from. We need to look after the ball better, but I thought we had the better of them in the scrums and our lineouts were good.”

But then Senatla showed his extraordinary finishing talents to put Western Province firmly in control.

The Bulls held on to the ball well for the next 10 minutes to earn another penalty for Schoeman, but Dean Greyling’s high tackle on Kolbe gave Coleman the opportunity to restore a 10-point lead (23-13) just four minutes later.

The Bulls hammered away at close quarters in the final minutes and belatedly got quick ball out wide to Mastriet, who powered through two tackles from 20 metres out to score.

Schoeman missed the touchline conversion and the Bulls were unable to breach the phenomenal Western Province defence again before the final hooter sounded.

“We need the same effort but with more accuracy,” Ludeke concluded.

For Coetzee, Western Province’s fourth successive win not only stretches their lead at the top of the log to three points but could also be a watershed moment in their Currie Cup campaign.

“There’s a complete integration in our play and we need to keep going, be driven by our own standards and run our own race. Winning makes that easier and I must compliment the leadership for getting four points under these conditions: against a very desperate Bulls side at altitude,” Coetzee said.

Victor Matfield said on Friday that the Sharks front row of Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis is a top-class unit and their struggles in the Springbok scrums against Argentina last weekend was just a case of a bad day at the office.

The Springboks were given a torrid time in the scrums by a fearsome Argentinian unit and, although that set-piece has been a focus of the team this week, Matfield said he expected a much-improved performance next weekend against Australia in Perth.

“It’s just one game that our scrum wasn’t good enough. But they are all fantastic players, the Sharks have had the best front row and they were all brilliant for the Springboks last year. I’m sure they will bounce back.

“The set-piece is a very important part of the game and the only way to fix it is out on the training field. We’ve looked at the video and we’ve been scrumming yesterday and today and will also be scrumming tomorrow,” Matfield said on Friday after the Springboks returned from a lengthy training session that went on for half-an-hour longer than expected.

“The guys there were outstanding the whole of last year so we know what they can do. It’s just one or two technical things that need to get sorted. I think there’s been an uproar because we’re so proud of our scrums and we’re certainly not happy with the way we scrummed last weekend. But I’m sure it will be fine next weekend.”

There is a tendency in rugby for teams to work incredibly hard on where their weaknesses have been exposed the previous week, to the detriment of what have been strengths before and sides are often surprised in another department, having fixed a problem area.

Fortunately the Springboks know that their lineout was no great shakes last weekend either, and the return of the masterful Matfield has seen them also put in a lot of work in that department.

“Our set-piece must work, that’s the bottom line, we have to secure our own ball and put pressure on their’s. We’ll have to wait and see who the coach picks and whether we’ll have five jumpers or four, but we also have to wait and see who Australia pick.

“James Horwill is a very experienced lock but he hasn’t been playing, while Rob Simmons has been there for a while. We also have to see which loose forwards they choose … ” Matfield said.

If there was a university of rugby, Matfield would have several Masters degrees and the veteran lock pointed out that the Springboks must not be distracted by all the rave reviews the All Blacks are receiving for upping the tempo of their game another notch in thrashing Australia 51-20 at Eden Park.

“First of all we have to focus on Australia and people musn’t forget that the same team that played in Auckland drew with the Mighty All Blacks two weeks ago on home soil. Plus the Waratahs won SuperRugby, so they’ll still be pretty confident and very competitive.

“We have to play to our strengths and control the pace of the game. We must make it quicker when we want it faster but also be able to slow it down and make it more of a set-piece battle. Rugby is all about who controls the pace of the game,” Matfield said.

Matfield’s long-time Bulls team-mate Morne Steyn has a crucial role in this regard and is expected to be back in the number 10 jersey for the match against the Wallabies in Perth.

“I don’t think the number 10 jersey is necessarily mine, every day I have to work hard and I can’t relax with the young guys coming through, but as the link between the backs and forwards, it’s mostly up to the scrumhalf and me to control the pace of the game. We want to set the pace,” Steyn said.

The Stade Francais player said he felt Handre Pollard had had two solid outings in the flyhalf position.

“It’s not always nice being on the bench, but I thought Handre did great. I do sit down and talk to him about small things, obviously I’m not coaching him but a young guy like that can always learn little things and wherever I can help, I do,” Steyn said.

Even a player of Steyn’s experience – the 30-year-old earned his 58th cap against Argentina – found it a daunting experience to twice be thrown into the deep end off the bench and steer the Springboks to victory against the rampant Pumas and he admitted he was looking forward to the pack getting into gear.

“I think the forwards will scrum better and go forward next weekend,” Steyn said while casting a knowing smile in Matfield’s direction. “In Salta we needed more momentum and we needed to get back on the front foot, which makes it much easier for the backline. I hope it will be much better in Australia, but we saw last year what we can do overseas and we have the confidence to do well over there.”

Lest we forget, the last time the Springboks were in Australia, they pounded the Wallabies 38-12 in Brisbane and that was with a weaker backline and no Matfield.

Patience is what comes to mind when I think of Nylsvley Nature Reserve, an ephemeral floodplain between Modimolle (Nylstroom) and Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in the Waterberg region of Limpopo province.

Although Nylsvley is the largest floodplain in South Africa, covering up to 16 000 ha when fully inundated, the cycle of flooding is erratic, dynamic and unpredictable. It is probably only totally flooded once a decade, while every third year or so, below-average rain in the catchment area on the eastern slopes of the Waterberg Mountains causes the floodplain to remain bone-dry.

This was my third visit to Nylsvley and finally a good year in terms of flooding, my arrival in mid-March obviously helping.

Nylsvley is famous for its waterbirds, many of which – your bitterns, crakes, rails and warblers – are skulking at the best of times, so a lot of patience is required to spot these shy species.

And then you have the tropical specials, which are not only skulking, but also few and far between on the ground. One of these is the Lesser Gallinule, a summer visitor to isolated parts of northern South Africa and a bird I have been wanting to see for many years.

Vogelfontein, on the northern edge of the reserve, is the most famous part of Nylsvley – more than a hundred waterbird species have been recorded in this area of flooded rank grassland, with hides, a road and raised dykes for better viewing, making it South Africa’s richest wetland.

But staying overnight at Nylsvley enabled me to visit the centre of the reserve for the first time and, in particular, the Jacana Hide, which is upstream from Vogelfontein. A walkway takes you through flooded reedbeds, before the vista opens up at the hide, giving you a view down the channels of the Mogkalakwena River.

Heading to the hide from the parking lot, the portents were good as I was privileged to not only see a handful of African Clawless Otter but also to see them indulge in the sort of natural behaviour that usually comes with a David Attenborough voice-over.

 

Before the metal walkway through the reeds starts, there is a grassy track and there, out in the open on this path, were these otters waggling their hindparts in some sort of dance. It was all a bit reminiscent of Miley Cyrus with sniffing of rear ends going on too as they whirled around each other, the slick, sleek black bodies of the otters merging together.

After nearly a minute they disappeared back into the water and reeds on either side of the track, but there was a strong urine-like smell at the spot where they performed, so I presume they were indulging in the ritualised latrine dance described by Somers in 1997.

Upon arriving at the Jacana Hide, thrilled by the mesmerising otters, I discovered two other people there, photographers, and they mentioned that they had seen Lesser Gallinule there the previous day.

Convinced that this must be my lucky day, I hunkered down for a long stay, eager to catch a sighting of a bird notorious for only making brief emergences from the thick, rank vegetation it favours.

Not that I was bored. There was a steady flow of traffic and I decided to rename Jacana Hide the Squacco Heron Airport as these birds that are normally easily overlooked were continually coming and going overhead, like aeroplanes approaching or taking off.

There were also Purple Heron, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Little Bee-Eater, African Fish Eagle, Malachite Kingfisher, African Reed Warbler, Whitefaced Duck, Pied Kingfisher, Cape Reed Warbler and Spurwinged Goose around. Even a Bearded Woodpecker paid a visit to the trees surrounding the main pool.

And then, with the sun getting low behind the thorn trees, the plump purple body of a Gallinule emerged on to a sandbank in front of the hide.

Great excitement.

But hold on, the bigger Purple Gallinule is common at Nylsvley and, if you’re not entirely sure of the size difference, one needs to look at the frontal shield – a hard piece of skin extending from the base of the upper bill over the forehead.

Both the Purple and Lesser Gallinule have bright red bills, but the Purple has a red frontal shield as well, while the scarcer Lesser has a bright blue to apple-green frontal shield.

I find size differences to be rather a subjective issue and I prefer to use more definite identification points, so I was focusing in on this Gallinule’s head, hoping to see a different colour than red above the beak.

Sadly, it was clearly red and my bird was the common Purple Gallinule.

Oh well, keep waiting.

The light was starting to get poor as the sun dipped ever lower and I was starting to give myself five minutes more … at five-minute intervals.

Eventually, another Gallinule emerged on to the sandbank. Was it the same one? Hang on, there seems to be something different about this one … it’s smaller.

With excitement growing, up went the binoculars for a detailed examination, honing in on the frontal shield. Which was hard work because of the poor light and the bird’s annoying habit of foraging whilst facing away from the hide!

Eventually, with frustration starting to overtake excitement, the Gallinule went for a stroll along the sandbank and turned to face the hide!

And there it was … a blue frontal shield!

My first Lesser Gallinule and it eventually gave me a wonderful sighting, fit for a lifer, as it paraded along the sandbank as a reward for my patience.

With the sun setting, it was time to return to camp after an exhilarating afternoon, completed by a couple of Southern Pochard flying in and then a friendly Common Large-Spotted Genet visiting my braai that evening.

Vogelfontein is also a highly-rewarding spot, especially when it is flooded.

I knew conditions were good when I spotted a Little Bittern clambering along the barbed wire fence alongside the road, using it as a hunting perch with water below right up to the road.

There were conspicuous Black Crake next to the road as well and Hottentot Teal, Wood Sandpiper and Threebanded Plover in the pools that had formed in the grassland. Whitewinged Widows were zitting around energetically.

My first stop was Kingfisher Hide and, as I alighted from the car, I happened to look skywards to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. There up above, soaring, dipping and diving about were a number of Blackwinged Pratincole, another lifer!

They were wonderful to watch, gliding around in a clear blue sky, flashing their forked, white tails and bellies. Some Amur Falcons were sharing the heavens with them.

Walking along the raised dykes on the other side of the road, numerous good sightings were made, including Blackcrowned Night Heron, Great White Egret, Burchell’s Coucal, Black Egret, both Grey and Blackheaded herons, Squacco Heron, Woodland Kingfisher, African Jacana, European Bee-Eater and Willow Warbler.

Away from the wetlands, the woodlands around Nylsvley – both broad-leaved and Acacia – are excellent for birding.

A Black Cuckooshrike was right next to the campsite, in a bird party with Chinspot Batis, Paradise Flycatcher and Diederick Cuckoo.

Some Bluecheeked Bee-Eaters were patrolling the dirt road to the entrance gate, along with Burchell’s Starling and Flappet Lark.

One has to exit the Nature Reserve and drive along the railway line to get to Vogelfontein, but there is good Acacia birding along this drive, with Purple Roller, Brownheaded Kingfisher, Spotted Flycatcher, Southern Black Tit and Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver present.

Sightings list

Crested Francolin

Neddicky

Redeyed Dove

Black Cuckooshrike

Laughing Dove

Swainson’s Francolin

Glossy Starling

Chinspot Batis

Paradise Flycatcher

Forktailed Drongo

Grey Hornbill

Diederick Cuckoo

Burchell’s Starling

Cattle Egret

Redbacked Shrike

Speckled Mousebird

Bluecheeked Bee-Eater

European Swallow

Cape Turtle Dove

Purple Roller

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Helmeted Guineafowl

Crowned Plover

Southern Grey headed Sparrow

Spotted Flycatcher

Grey Lourie

Little Bittern

Stonechat

Common Waxbill

Black Crake

Blacksmith Plover

Southern Masked Weaver

Whitethroated Swallow

Hottentot Teal

Wood Sandpiper

Threebanded Plover

Greater Striped Swallow

Whitewinged Widow

Blackwinged Pratincole

Amur Falcon

Blackcrowned Night Heron

Great White Egret

Burchell’s Coucal

Black Egret

Grey Heron

Blackheaded Heron

Squacco Heron

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Reed Cormorant

Longtailed Shrike

Plains Zebra

Woodland Kingfisher

African Jacana

European Bee-Eater

Willow Warbler

Rattling Cisticola

Orangethroated Longclaw

Common Moorhen

Southern Black Tit

Redwinged Starling

Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver

Cape Dwarf Gecko

Blackeyed Bulbul

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Tsessebe

Flappet Lark

Purple Heron

African Clawless Otter

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Little Bee-Eater

African Fish Eagle

Malachite Kingfisher

African Reed Warbler

Bearded Woodpecker

Whitefaced Duck

Pied Kingfisher

Cape Reed Warbler

Spurwinged Goose

Purple Gallinule

Lesser Gallinule

Southern Pochard

Hadeda Ibis

Common Large-Spotted Genet

Kurrichane Thrush

Tree Squirrel

Longbilled Crombec

Cardinal Woodpecker

Southern Tree Agama

 

The Springboks will be putting aside thoughts of the bonus point and will be concentrating on laying the platform for victory in their Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Pretoria on Saturday, captain Jean de Villiers said on Friday.

Coach Heyneke Meyer began the week by stressing the importance of obtaining bonus points, and previous results, both against Argentina and at Loftus Versfeld, merely increase the expectation.

The Pumas’ four previous visits to the Highveld have always resulted in the Springboks running riot, winning 73-13 last year in Soweto, 63-9 at Ellis Park in 2008, 49-29 in Springs in 2002, and 46-26 in Johannesburg in 1994.

Since winning the series against the British and Irish Lions there in a three-point thriller in 2009, Loftus Versfeld has also been a high-scoring venue for the Springboks – beating Australia 44-31 in 2010 and 31-8 in 2012, and Samoa 56-23 last year.

But De Villiers preached caution on Friday.

“Argentina have selected a very strong side and we’re not looking past tomorrow, which is our most important game. We ended the incoming tours well and now we need to take that momentum into the Rugby Championship.

“Whatever happened before is in the past, it’s a brand new ball game. We have to start well and focus on what we do as individuals and collectively.

“It’s really about getting the first phases right and getting a platform. We’re not thinking about the bonus point, we’ll get the result if all the processes are in place, if we tick all those boxes,” De Villiers said.

The Pumas’ tight five has just 105 caps between them, compared to the 251 of their Springbok counterparts, but the Argentina loose trio is a force to be reckoned with, boasting the experienced Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, and the prodigious talent of Pablo Matera.

“They certainly have a good loose trio, they’re all quality players. Leguizamon and Lobbe have been around for a while and it’s going to be a real challenge at the breakdown, they’ve shown what we can do there.

“But I’m looking forward to the battle of the breakdown because we’ve got a good combination there as well,” De Villiers said.

The Pumas backline certainly has the potential to stretch the Springbok defences, especially with the increasingly expansive approach new coach Daniel Hourcade is advocating.

“Their nine [Martin Landajo] and 10 [Nicolas Sanchez] are an established combination and I played with Martin Landajo at the Barbarians, he’s a very good player.

“They have a lot of experience in midfield, Juan Martin Hernandez is a very gifted player and Marcelo Bosch has done really well at Saracens. So they will definitely challenge us defensively and we’ll need to be at our best,” De Villiers said.

The Pumas are streets ahead of the Springboks in terms of preparation, having been in camp for six weeks compared to just the two weeks Meyer has had to work with De Villiers and company.

But the Springbok captain said his team were happy with their preparation.

“It’s more time together than we’ve had in the past and we’re very happy with our preparation.”

Argentina could, in fact, have over-trained for the Test, with Hourcade apparently having his team out on the field three times a day.

Significantly for the Springboks, Saturday’s Test will mark the first Rugby Championship starts for flyhalf Handre Pollard, outside centre Damian de Allende and right wing Cornal Hendricks.

De Villiers, appearing in his 97th Test, will play between Pollard and De Allende and he said he was looking forward to guiding two of the future stars of Springbok rugby.

“It’s great to see guys come through and get their opportunity, Handre and Damian have showed that they are good enough.

“Handre showed in Port Elizabeth against Scotland that he ticks all the boxes as a world-class flyhalf. I’m very excited to play next to him for the first time, I’ve watched him since he started playing for the same school as me [Paarl Gymnasium] and it’s great to see how well he’s done,” De Villiers said.

The Pumas will undoubtedly be tricky customers on Saturday, but the Springboks need to win well in order to reinforce their standing as the All Blacks’ nearest challengers.