Ken Borland

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Talented young flyhalf Kurt Coleman led the way for the SWD Eagles with his boot as they beat the Ford Pumas 22-16 and wrecked their hopes for a second successive victory in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Outeniqua Park in George on Friday.

Coleman was in fine form with the boot as he succeeded with all five of his shots at goal – kicking four penalties and a conversion – while his tactical kicking was also instrumental in pinning the Pumas in their own territory and keeping them under pressure.

The Pumas had dominated the opening exchanges as flyhalf JC Roos kicked a penalty and flank RW Kember was driven over the line for the opening try, but the rest of the match was all about the Eagles as they overturned the 8-0 deficit and in fact led 22-11 until conceding a try on the final hooter.

The visitors’ discipline was not up to scratch and they granted Coleman shots at goal in the 16th, 23rd and 37th minutes, the 22-year-old’s three penalties giving SWD a 9-8 lead at half-time.

Coleman kicked another penalty in the 44th minute and then converted the try by livewire scrumhalf Johan Herbst that largely settled the contest, before retiring to the sideline on the hour mark on a miserably muddy and cold evening in George.

The replacement flyhalf, Theuns Kotze, then kicked a penalty in the 68th minute to stretch the lead to 22-11 and ensure victory, especially since the Pumas were down to 14 men with replacement centre Dewald Pretorius yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle.

The Pumas did close the gap on the final whistle with a try by replacement flank Renaldo Bothma, but they were outplayed on the night, the chief reason being a superb showing by the Eagles forwards in conditions they revelled in.

SCORERS

SWD Eagles – Try: Johan Herbst. Conversion: Kurt Coleman. Penalties: Coleman (4), Theuns Kotze.

Ford Pumas – Tries: RW Kember, Renaldo Bothma. Penalties: JC Roos (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120713/Coleman_kicks_Eagles_to_victory

The Ford Pumas used the rolling maul to great attacking effect as they hammered the Boland Cavaliers 33-10 (half-time 26-3) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday.

The Cavaliers were at sixes and sevens trying to stop the powerful Pumas pack and it took just three minutes before flank Jaco Bouwer was at the back of a rolling maul to dot down for the opening try.

Flyhalf Carl Bezuidenhout converted for the home side, but his opposite number, Elgar Watts, brought Boland back within four points with a penalty in the eighth minute.

But the Pumas were in firm control by the end of the first quarter as Bezuidenhout used slick hands and quick feet to get in the gap and score their second try, followed soon afterwards by Bouwer once again dotting down in the maul.

Bezuidenhout converted both tries and the Pumas were 21-3 in front in 17 minutes.

Bouwer’s hat-trick try completed a hellish first half for the Cavaliers, the visitors going into the break 3-26 down.

Things would go better for the visitors in the second half as they made a host of substitutions, but Pumas captain and centre JW Jonker was able to go over in the 63rd minute to stretch the lead to 33-3 after Bezuidenhout’s conversion.

The Cavaliers were well and truly chasing the game in the final quarter and replacement centre Jonathan Francke sped over for their only try with 13 minutes remaining.

The Pumas, controversially relegated from the Premier Division, certainly made a bold statement as they go in chase of the title the Boland Cavaliers won last year.

SCORERS

Ford Pumas – Tries: Jaco Bouwer (3), Carl Bezuidenhout, JW Jonker. Conversions: Bezuidenhout (4).

Regent Boland Cavaliers – Try: Jonathan Francke. Conversion: Elgar Watts. Penalty: Watts.

– http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120707/Pumas_hammer_Cavaliers

The Valke, with their pack making the hard yards, successfully stymied the dangerous Border backs as they beat the Bulldogs 33-11 (half-time 19-6) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Buffalo City Municipal Stadium in East London on Friday.

The Valke’s dominant, bulky pack was able to make life very difficult for the Bulldogs backs, who had to put up with back-foot ball almost throughout the game.

The weather might have been cooler in East London, but the Valke were hot, with flank Jacques Nieuwenhuis, freshly back from France, and flyhalf Karlo Aspeling revelling in the platform provided by their tight forwards.

Aspeling showed the silky handling skills of flyhalves in a bygone era as he dummied his way through for the opening try, in the fifth minute, and his deceptive running also set up the try on the stroke of half-time by centre Willie Odendaal that gave the Valke a 19-6 lead.

The Valke then scored in the first minute of the second half as Nieuwenhuis charged over and, even though the Bulldogs replied with a fine try by eighthman Lubabalo Mzwakali, it was a forlorn enterprise as the Gautengers remained in control and added to their tally with a second try to Namibian international Nieuwenhuis.

Aspeling’s fine game also extended to his kicking, as he also slotted four conversions.

The Valke’s other try came in the 38th minute as they kept things tight and hooker Werner du Preez, a tidy replacement, forced his way over the line.

While Aspeling was one of the standout players, he was well-served by scrumhalf Jaco Snyman, who invariably took the right options. The Valke were also helped by having two formidable locks in Johann de Bruin and Christopher Yearsley.

SCORERS

Border Bulldogs – Try: Lubabalo Mzwakali. Penalties: Reinhard Gerber (2).

Valke – Tries: Karlo Aspeling, Werner du Preez, Willie Odendaal, Jacques Nieuwenhuis (2). Conversions: Aspeling (4).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120706/Valke_beat_Bulldogs

Replacement flyhalf Tertius Maarman scored two tries in the last 10 minutes to inspire a thrilling come-from-behind 37-27 win for the Griffons over the Valke in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park on Saturday.

The Valke looked in firm control as they went into the break 24-11 up, but two yellow cards in the second half – in the vital 10 minutes after half-time and then heading into the last 10 minutes – helped the Griffons stage an amazing comeback.

The Valke made an impressive start as left wing Sandile Ngcobo dashed over for an early try, flyhalf Juan Kotze’s conversion effort going astray and the 20-year-old limped off the field with an injury just five minutes later.

Griffons right wing Hansie Graaff then levelled the scores with a similarly fleetfooted effort, flyhalf Tiaan van Wyk failing to convert, but kicking a 17th-minute penalty to give the visitors an 8-5 lead.

Valke flank Marco Kotze used his power to muscle over the tryline in the 30th minute, and the Eastern Gautengers continued to build on their forward dominance with some slick ball-handling and support play to run in two more tries before half-time.

Fullback JW Bell and eighthman Reg Muller crossed the tryline to give the Valke a 24-11 half-time lead, a Van Wyk penalty being the only other points added to the Griffons’ tally before the break.

The Valke were playing highly attractive rugby, but hooker Shone van der Walt did little to promote their cause in the 10th minute of the second half when his dangerous tackle led to him being yellow-carded.

The one-man advantage – a tight forward at that – allowed the Griffons to get themselves back in the game.

A top-class forward drive three minutes later saw loosehead prop Charles Marais barge over for the second try and eighthman Willie Britz then scored a fine try just a minute later to bring the Griffons within a single point of the Valke (23-24).

The Valke were clearly rattled and, even though replacement flyhalf Karlo Aspeling kicked a penalty to settle their nerves a bit, the Griffons were on fire and the pressure eventually told on the home side as Muller was yellow-carded for repeated infringements in the breakdown battle.

Just a minute after Muller’s departure, Maarman broke free to score, Graaff converting to give the Griffons a 30-27 lead.

The free-running Maarman then made another break five minutes later to grab his second try, with Graaff adding the conversion among great celebrations by the Griffons, who won just twice in last year’s Currie Cup First Division and just once in this year’s Vodacom Cup.

The two second-half yellow cards really set the cat among the pigeons for the Valke, with the captain, Van der Walt, surely rueing the ill-discipline that saw his mistake turn the tide for the Griffons.

SCORERS

Valke – Tries: Sandile Ngcobo, Marco Kotze, JW Bell, Reg Muller. Conversions: Karlo Aspeling (2). Penalty: Aspeling.

Griffons – Tries: Hansie Graaff, Charles Marais, Willie Britz, Tertius Maarman (2). Conversions: Graaff (3). Penalties: Tiaan van Wyk (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120630/Griffons_fight_back_to_beat_Valke