Ken Borland

CAPE ST FRANCIS, Eastern Cape – Heinrich Bruiners grew up in George, a little more than three hours along the N2 in a westerly direction from Cape St Francis, so a little bit of blustery wind is never going to give him grey hairs.

So although the wind almost reached 30km/h on the opening day of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at the St Francis Links on Thursday, it was no bother for Bruiners as he cruised to a marvellous, bogey-free, seven-under-par 65 to claim a one-stroke lead after the first round.

Things became a little gory for the rest of the field though, with only 31 of the 83 golfers ending the first day under par. Bruiners’ nearest challengers are Serengeti’s Ockie Strydom (66), and American Brooklin Bailey and a pair of South Africans in Dylan Naidoo and Jaco Prinsloo on 67.

“It was a bit windy today, but not too bad, just one or two clubs. Growing up on the coast, I’ve played a lot of tournaments in these conditions. I tend to focus a bit better because you have to be a bit more specific, otherwise it’s so easy to make a mistake in the wind.

“But playing in the wind feels like a bit of an advantage for me, to be honest, and I have a lower ball-flight than most,” Bruiners said.

Apart from playing what he described as his “worst two rounds for the year” in the preceding pro-am event, Bruiners has felt that he has been playing good golf, but has committed the sin of not capitalising when it comes to his final score.

On Thursday he put that right with three birdies on his front nine as he went off on the 10^th and then four more on his back nine, including three-in-a-row from the fourth.

“I’m very happy because in the last while, I’ve been playing really well but I just didn’t end off rounds the way I would like. I made a good birdie on 11 today, which is quite a tough hole, so it was nice to get off to a good start.

“The next few holes were also downwind and I was glad I capitalised because I was thinking the wind was going to pick up. I hit two very good shots for birdies on the first and fourth holes.

“Then there were more holes into the wind coming in, but I tried to be aggressive. Last week I was in contention in the SunBet Challenge Wild Coast, but I became a bit defensive down the stretch. So I tried to be a bit more positive today.

“It ended up being a really solid round, no drops because I made a really nice putt for par on the seventh. It’s the first time in a while I’ve sunk a putt like that, so it meant a lot.

“In fact this must be one of my most memorable rounds. I’ve played a few good rounds, but this one I’ll remember,” a delighted Bruiners said.

Strydom also started on the 10^th and had a much slower start to his ascent up the leaderboard, being just one-under at the turn. The first three holes at St Francis Links are deceptive, but the 37-year-old birdied all three for a great start to his back nine. Strydom also picked up shots on the fifth, sixth and eighth holes for a top-class round of golf.

Bailey also made a leap up the leaderboard on the front nine, also collecting five birdies.

The SWD Eagles piled on the pressure in the second half to beat the Valke 45-11 (halftime 12-6) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Outeniqua Park in George on Saturday.

The bonus-point win takes the Eagles to 43 log points and the men from the South-Western Districts will now face an anxious wait to see whether the Griffons or Leopards can earn a point from their matches tonight to deny them a semifinal place.

The weighty Valke pack caused the Eagles some problems in the first half and flyhalf Karlo Aspeling kicked two penalties in the first quarter to give the Gautengers a 6-0 lead.

The Eagles made life difficult for themselves with sloppy handling and trying to run ball off the back foot and they needed two dodgy yellow cards to the Valke before they could take the lead.

Flanks Wesley Kotze (high tackle) and Frederick Eksteen (alleged trip) were sent to the sin bin in the 27th and 41st minutes and the Eagles responded immediately with tries on both occasions.

In the 28th minute, the home side eventually got the ball wide from a series of rucks and quick hands by flyhalf Burton Francis sent fullback Elric van Vuuren over for the try.

With George delivering her famous cold-and-wet weather, handling and expansive play were tough and the Eagles began using the rolling maul to good effect. Just before halftime, flank Dumisane Meslane, who played with great energy throughout, burst from a maul and darted down on the blindside for the second try, which Van Vuuren converted.

Van Vuuren has wonderful hands as well as an accurate boot and his nifty back-flip sent Meslane racing clear two minutes after the break, the loose forward then showing good vision to draw three defenders and pass back inside for the fullback to score.

Van Vuuren’s second conversion increased the lead to 19-6 and that became 26-6 in the 49th minute with the bonus-point try by wing Alshaun Bock.

Rugby can be a tough mistress and she turned ugly on Valke flyhalf Karlo Aspeling, who had enjoyed a good first half. First he missed a penalty kick to touch and then, when he received the ball back from the Eagles, he tried a chip kick which was gathered by Bock.

The well-travelled 30-year-old wing swerved away from Aspeling and then burst down the right touchline to score, Van Vuuren converting.

The Valke were now chasing the game and captain and lock Johan de Bruin evaded the blindside defence to score from a ruck in the 54th minute, following on the good work of Eksteen and centre Hendrik Meyer in creating front-foot ball.

But the Eagles broke free again in the final quarter and soared to a strong finish with three more tries.

Captain and eighthman Wilhelm Koch took a tap penalty and darted over from a scrum close to the line, before replacement scrumhalf Mzo Dyanti broke blind and put a grubber through. Van Vuuren’s kick infield was a vital touch and it allowed wing Ghafoer Luckan to gather and speed over for the try.

Replacement flank Shaun Raubenheimer completed the scoring as he powered down the blindside following a strong drive by replacement hooker Sidney Tobias.

SCORERS

SWD Eagles – Tries: Elric van Vuuren (2), Dumisane Meslane, Alshaun Bock, Wilhelm Koch, Ghafoer Luckan, Shaun Raubenheimer. Conversions: Van Vuuren (5).
Valke – Try: Johan de Bruin. Penalties: Karlo Aspeling (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120928/Eagles_beat_Valke_with_bonus_point

A dramatic revival in the final quarter carried the SWD Eagles to a thrilling 64-34 (half-time 27-20) victory over the Leopards in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Outeniqua Park in George on Friday.

The Leopards, having fought their way back to 34-34 after 57 minutes, were left stunned as the Eagles scored three more tries, two of them by incisive scrumhalf Johan Herbst to complete his hat-trick, and resuscitated their hopes of making the semifinals.

The Eagles started in magnificent fashion as right wing Clinton Wagman and Herbst scored tries in the first four minutes and fullback Elric van Vuuren converted both and added a penalty to give the home side an early 17-0 lead.

But the Leopards also showed some attacking verve and their fullback, Hoffman Maritz, crossed for a try and flyhalf Andre Pretorius added the conversion and a 19th-minute penalty and suddenly the visitors only trailed 10-17.

Van Vuuren chipped over a penalty in the 27th minute (20-10) and the Eagles then looked after the ball well for outside centre Nicolaas Hanekom to score, the fullback again adding the conversion.

It was like taking candy from babies when 23-year-old Leopards lock Victor Kruger charged over the tryline five minutes before the break and another Pretorius penalty left the Eagles bemoaning the way they had rather wasted their early advantage.

The Leopards were sighing even louder after the break as they once again conceded a try from the kick-off, left wing Ghafoer Luckan darting over, but North-West’s number 11, Berty Visser, went hard and low to score in the 51st minute.

Six minutes later and, lo and behold, the Leopards were level after a try by inside centre Adriaan Engelbrecht, also converted by Pretorius.

But Van Vuuren kicked a 64th-minute penalty to reclaim the lead for the Eagles, before replacement flyhalf Burton Francis slotted two well-taken drop goals within two minutes to give South-Western Districts a nine-point buffer.

Inside centre Jeffrey Taljard and Herbst, twice, then knifed through for tries in the last six minutes to seal an exciting win for the Eagles, who now close to within two points of the Leopards and the Northern Free State Griffons on the log.

SCORERS

SWD EAGLES – Tries: Clinton Wagman, Johan Herbst (3), Nicolaas Hanekom, Ghafoer Luckan, Jeffrey Taljard. Conversions: Elric van Vuuren (7). Penalties: Van Vuuren (3). Drop goals: Burton Francis (2).

LEOPARDS – Tries: Hoffman Maritz, Victor Kruger, Berty Visser, Adriaan Engelbrecht. Conversions: Andre Pretorius (4). Penalties: Pretorius (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120907/SWD_Eagles_ease_past_Leopards

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