Ken Borland

The defending champion Lions will be hoping it will be a case of history repeating itself in Johannesburg next weekend as they once again host Western Province in a Currie Cup semi-final.

Western Province produced a commanding display to dispatch the Free State Cheetahs 36-15 at Newlands on Saturday, giving them third place on the log and a semi-final against the second-placed Lions.

While the Capetonians will bring a squad full of top-class players now that the Springboks have returned to Currie Cup action, Lions fans will remember well that the same thing happened last year, with the Gautengers beating a star-studded Western Province team 29-20 at Ellis Park en route to hammering the Sharks in the final.

The Sharks are once again in contention, having finished at the top of the round-robin standings and they will host the Bulls in the other semi-final in Durban.

The Bulls, who began the final weekend at the bottom of the log and in serious danger of having to play promotion/relegation against the EP Kings, made the top four as Morne Steyn supervised a classy 50-29 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park.

Once the weight of avoiding the relegation playoffs was off their shoulders, the Bulls played with impressive freedom and they certainly have the ammunition now to avenge their 13-12 loss to the Sharks in a sodden Durban two weeks ago.

“We’ve had to fight our way out of a hole, and the last three games we’ve played really well, even when we lost to the Sharks. Conditions were very difficult that day, but we know the Sharks are a tough challenge; they’ve lost just once in Durban the whole year, but we’re just happy we’ve given ourselves the opportunity. A semi-final is a funny sort of game, it depends on who is more accurate on the day,” Bulls coach Pine Pienaar said.

The Lions, meanwhile, were not overly concerned by the big loss, having rested several key players and having the home semi-final already in the bag before the match against the Bulls even started.

“We started to go through the motions a bit, we lacked a bit of experience in the side this weekend and some of the guys started thinking about next week.

“Last year, we played against the Sharks the week before the semi-finals and lost 53-9, so we definitely didn’t have any momentum going into the knockout rounds, but we played our best rugby of the year after that. I felt that when we wanted to play tonight, we could do it and we’re definitely ready for the semi-finals,” Lions stand-in captain Butch James said.

With both Lions’ outside centres – Lionel Mapoe and Deon van Rensburg – suffering injuries at the weekend, Alwyn Hollenbach could well have to slide across into the number 13 jersey, opening up a place inside him for James, with Elton Jantjies coming back at flyhalf. That will set up a fascinating contest next weekend between James and another senior pro in Jean de Villiers in Western Province’s number 12 jersey.

De Villiers was one of the players to shine as the Capetonians, who began the match with an outside chance of being sucked into the relegation battle, produced a clinical display that left the Cheetahs with barely a gram of hope.

Western Province were allowed to run by the lethargic Cheetahs, a wonderful platform being laid by the forwards, led by returning Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, and the Free Staters were out of the contest by the end of the first quarter.

In the veterinary world, the Cheetahs may have been put down, so lacklustre were they. Naka Drotske’s men could probably do with some defence clinics before their promotion/relegation meeting with the Kings.

The Sharks were another team to hit their straps at the weekend, giving Griquas the run-around in an overwhelming 42-3 victory in Durban. And coach John Plumtree still has some Springbok talent lying around that he can add to the side in the form of Tendai Mtawarira, Willem Alberts and Lwazi Mvovo.

The big question this year is once again whether it is better to have a settled side with continuity – i.e. the Lions – or will the introduction of the Springboks provide the necessary boost for the Bulls or Western Province to overcome the disadvantage of playing away from home?

The Sharks, having learnt the harsh lessons of last year when their seven Springboks returning from the World Cup failed to gel with the rest of the team and they were thumped 42-16 by the Lions in the final, are perhaps in the pound seats because they have experience of these problems and they will be playing both the semi-finals and the final, if they qualify, at King’s Park.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-10-16-in-like-lions-but-will-they-go-out-like-lambs

England, the defending champions, made the ideal start to their ICC World T20 campaign when they hammered Afghanistan by 116 runs in their opening game at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

: http://www.supersport.com/cricket/article.aspx?id=1592431

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, England rode on the back of Luke Wright’s fiery 99 not out off just 55 balls to post 196 for five, the highest score of the tournament thus far.

Afghanistan were in serious danger of making the lowest ever score in T20 internationals when they crashed to 26 for eight in reply, but Gulbodin Naib restored the pride of the gutsy minnows and entertained the sparse crowd as he belted 44 off 32 balls to lift Afghanistan to 80 all out.

Wright batted with tremendous power to batter eight fours and six sixes, leading the charge as England blazed 122 runs in the last 10 overs to surge to a massive total.

The pace of Shapoor Zadran caused England some early troubles, and he claimed the wicket of Craig Kieswetter, playing the ball onto his own stumps, for a duck to end the first over with a wicket-maiden.

But Wright and Alex Hales made sure England made full use of the last two overs of the powerplay, smashing 37 runs from them and England were 52 for one after six overs.

Even though England lost the wicket of Hales, for 31 off 27 balls, in the most unfortunate of ways as Karim Sadiq deflected Wright’s straight drive onto the non-striker’s stumps, it was obvious England were well set for a big total with Wright going strongly at the halfway mark on 38 not out off 26 balls and the world No 1 on 74 for two.

Wright hit the off-spin of Mohammad Nabi for a six and two fours in the 16th over, Eoin Morgan also contributing a six as 22 runs came from the over.

Nabi had bowled his first two overs for 10 runs but finished with none for 46 in his four-over stint.

Wright’s marvellous ball-striking reached its peak in the penultimate over as he smashed the last three balls of Izatullah Dawlatzai’s over for six. The unfortunate seamer conceded 56 runs in three overs, the most expensive three-over spell in T20 international history.

Dawlatzai did, however, claim the wickets of Morgan, for 27 off 23 balls, and Jos Buttler, for 15 off seven.

There was also a useful cameo from Jonny Bairstow, who hit his first ball for six and ended with 12 off five balls.

Considering the carnage, Dawlat Zadran’s figures of one for 22 in four overs were remarkable and he prevented Wright from notching England’s first T20 international century by restricting him to just a couple of singles and two runs to midwicket off the last ball of the over.

England’s display with the ball was amazing as they reduced Afghanistan to 22 for five inside six overs.

Captain Stuart Broad claimed two early wickets and there was the run-out of Karim Sadiq for five as well, before the spinners, Samit Patel (3-0-6-2) and Graeme Swann (4-2-22-2), chipped in to reduce Afghanistan to a catastrophic 26 for eight after nine overs.

Gulbodin took it upon himself to save Afghanistan from unwanted history as he belted five fours and three sixes, but the yawning gap between the plucky good-news story of the competition and the defending champions was only too obvious.

Regent Boland Cavaliers centre Elgar Watts kicked a penalty in the final minute to secure a 21-21 draw with the SWD Eagles to end the defending champions’ run of defeats in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Outeniqua Park in George on Friday.

The 26-year-old Watts, a key figure in the Cavaliers’ title triumph last year, enjoyed a top-class game all round, scoring a try and missing just a single kick at goal.

Having made a disastrous start – trailing 0-12 after just four minutes – it was a tremendous coup for the Cavaliers to come away with a share of the points, especially since they had lost their previous four matches in this year’s competition.

Boland conceded a try in the first minute of the match when Eagles scrumhalf Mzo Dantyi spotted a gap in the Cavaliers defence and scooted through to score.

SWD flyhalf Theuns Kotze converted to put the home side 7-0 in front and the situation only worsened for Boland a minute later when wing Vainon Willis was yellow-carded. During the time he was in the cooler, the Eagles scored another try as the pressure told and outside centre Stokkies Hanekom dashed over the tryline.

But Watts then inspired a gutsy comeback by the visitors, kicking a penalty after a SWD ruck infringement and then breaking through the Eagles defence for the Cavaliers’ opening try midway through the first half.

The conversion was good and the SWD lead was suddenly only two points. Kotze made it 15-10 with a 23rd-minute penalty, but the Cavaliers levelled the scores with their second try, lock Lungelo Payi being the man driven over the line from close range.

Both sides tested each other defences in the opening exchanges of the second half, but it was the Cavaliers who infringed first in a kickable position, Kotze kicking his second penalty to make the score 18-15 to the Eagles.

Six minutes later, SWD were also guilty of infringing and Watts levelled the scores again with his second penalty.

Kotze then missed penalties in the 64th and 77th minutes and, even though he did kick one in the 78th minute to give the Eagles a 21-18 lead, that proved crucial as their advantage was short-lived.

The Cavaliers, meek as lambs at the start of the match, came roaring back into SWD territory and forced a penalty, Watts showing steely nerves to slot it and earn the draw.

SCORERS

SWD Eagles – Tries: Mzo Dyantyi, Stokkies Hanekom. Conversion: Theuns Kotze. Penalties: Kotze (3).

Regent Boland Kavaliers – Tries: Elgar Watts, Lungelo Payi. Conversion: Watts. Penalties: Watts (3).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120727/Watts_penalty_ends_Bolands_losing_streak