Ken Borland

Storming flanker Wimpie van der Walt scored the crucial try as the EP Kings edged the Profert Leopards 23-20 (halftime 13-13) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Friday.

But the Leopards gained a crucial bonus point and will continue in the competition as the fourth-placed team into the semifinals.

Van der Walt, who went on several barnstorming runs through the game, scored the crucial try in the 47th minute to give the Kings a vital 23-13 cushion in a hard-fought game.

The Leopards piled on the pressure in the final quarter and it told when referee Tiaan Jonker ran around under the poles and awarded them a penalty try, with flyhalf Andre Pretorius kicking the conversion to close the gap to 20-23.

And to make matters worse for the Kings, replacement lock Darron Nell was yellow-carded for the offence that led to the penalty try.

But the log-topping Eastern Province side showed tremendous courage and determination in defence as they held off the Leopards to secure their 12th win and an unbeaten run into the semifinals.

The Leopards, playing for a semifinal place in front of their home crowd, came out firing and gave the Kings a torrid opening quarter and led 10-0 after 25 minutes.

Pretorius kicked a penalty and converted Edgar Marutlulle’s try as the hooker showed good pace and strength to barge over.

Up until then, the competition favourites had been all barks but they showed their bite through flyhalf Wesley Dunlop who scored 13 points in six minutes with two penalties and a try which he converted.

The Leopards had the last say in the first half with a Pretorius penalty, before Dunlop started the dramatic second half with a penalty to stretch the visitors lead to 16-13 before Van der Walt’s moment of glory.

SCORERS

PROFERT LEOPARDS – Tries: Edgar Marutlulle, penalty try. Conversions: Andre Pretorius (2). Penalties: Pretorius (2).

EP KINGS – Tries: Wesley Dunlop, Wimpie van der Walt. Conversions: Dunlop (2). Penalties: Dunlop (3).

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

Alistair Kettledas blazed his way to a hat-trick but the loose trio were the leading lights as the Leopards hammered the Valke 57-22 (halftime 29-3) in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at Profert Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Friday.

While Kettledas, the competition’s leading try-scorer, cut through the Valke defences like a laser to score his three tries, the Leopards’ loose trio of Juan “Spanner” Pretorius, Robert Kruger and Morne Hanekom were superb, showing great penetration with ball in hand and being incisive at the breakdowns.

A large and enthusiastic tight five also had much to do with the Leopards’ victory and they were seldom in any danger of losing as they built up a sizeable 29-3 lead at halftime. Veteran former Springbok flyhalf Andre Pretorius is also clearly enjoying his new life in Potchefstroom as he kicked superbly in the gusting wind and also showed great vision at times.

The Valke made a lively start, but seemed to have the stuffing knocked out of them by a yellow card to prop Stefan Bezuidenhout for illegally disrupting a rolling maul close to his own tryline.

The power and skills of eighthman Juan Pretorius saw him charging over the tryline soon afterwards and the superb support play and pace of Kruger set up the second try, for centre Adriaan Engelbrecht.

The vision of Andre Pretorius, who pouched an interception and then sent a long pass out wide to wing Kettledas, set up the Leopards’ third try and, with a 22-3 lead after half-an-hour, the home side were already obvious winners.

Kettledas tapped and dived over for his second try just before halftime and the Leopards were soon swarming on to attack again from the second-half kick-off.

Wing Andrew van Wyk cleaned up well after an attack had been disrupted, drew a couple of defenders and allowed Engelbrecht to glide over for his second try.

Andre Pretorius’s fifth successful kick stretched the Leopards’ lead to 36-3, but the Valke’s balloon had not yet been burst and, keeping the ball alive for nine phases, they created the space for fullback JW Bell to go over for their first try.

But the Leopards struck back and made the score 43-10 two minutes later as centre Hennie Scorbinski made a half-break and made the space for replacement fullback Gerhard Nortier to dash down the right and score, and Andre Pretorius slotted an excellent conversion.

Just after the hour mark, great work by “Spanner” Pretorius and Kruger saw the Leopards swarming on to attack and Hanekom then dived over the tryline as if he was diving over breakers on the beach to score a spectacular try.

The Valke had not just been idle opposition in the second half, playing with great determination but not enough accuracy. But, in the 64th minute, replacement flyhalf Karlo Aspeling, who had been providing great balls for his backline, sparked another attack and scrumhalf Anrich Richter went over for the try as the Leopards defence scrambled.

There was even some humiliation in store for the Leopards as Valke right wing Sandile Ngcobo skinned the defence to score, but the home side had the last say as the pace of Kettledas took North-West from defence on to attack.

The Valke dropped the ball inside the Leopards 22, Kettledas kicked through, regathered and then got the ball back from Nortier to score the final try.

The Leopards’ victory keeps them in third position on the log and still in line for the semifinals.

SCORERS:

Leopards -Tries: Juan Pretorius, Adriaan Engelbrecht (2), Allister Kettledas (3), Gerhard Nortier, Morne Hanekom. Conversions: Andre Pretorius (6), Ernest Nortje. Penalty: Pretorius.

Valke – Tries: JW Bell, Anrich Richter, Sandile Ngcobo. Conversions: Karlo Aspeling (2). Penalty: Juan Kotze.

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120914/Leopards_hammer_Valke

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

Former world champion Caster Semenya made a winning return to 800m action on Saturday in Potchefstroom, but failed to reach the Olympic qualifying standard.

Semenya won the 800m in the second leg of the Yellow Pages Series in Potchefstroom, clocking 2:03.60, well outside the Olympic qualifer of 1:59.90.

The 2009 world champion and 2011 World Championship silver-medallist said she was sorry she had not set the pace earlier in a slow-paced race.

“I ran a little stupidly because I didn’t take the lead from the beginning. I thought they would push the pace, but we all learn from our mistakes.

“Everyone knows the Olympics is the most important thing this year, so I must set the qualifying time, and we’ll take it from there,” Semenya told reporters after the race.

Semenya was embroiled in a controversy over her gender after her 2009 triumph in Berlin, and the IAAF ordered her to undergo gender testing.

In July 2010 she was cleared to run in women’s events, but is currently returning to full fitness after a back problem disrupted her season last year.

The 21-year-old stayed with the pack for the first 300 metres on Saturday, but broke away before the end of the first lap and slowly pulled clear of the other competitors on the second lap to win comfortably.