Boland’s Currie Cup playoff hopes dashed

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers saw their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Carling Black Label Currie Cup for a second successive season dashed after going down 48-17 to the Suzuki Griquas in Sunday’s (30 August) final round-robin clash at Boland Stadium in Wellington.

Boland needed to win Sunday’s game to secure the fourth and final semi-final spot.

However, the ill-discipline that has plagued coach Hawies Fourie’s Kavaliers since losing to the Airlink Pumas at home once again saw them come unstuck.

Especially in the second half when Griquas scored 29 unanswered points.

In a game that was meant to celebrate lock Marlyn Williams’ century of clashes for the Kavaliers, it turned into a Sunday that the Western Cape outfit would soon want to forget as they again conceded a plethora of penalties, while two players got yellow-carded and a third red-carded because of the ill-discipline.

The Kavaliers did, however, make a good start to the game, racking up more than 10 phases on attack, before referee Griffin Colby awarded an early penalty.

Boland flyhalf Ahslon Davids converted for a 3-0 lead, before the Kavas started to come unstuck.

A string of penalties saw Griquas piggy-back their way into the Boland 22-meter area before Marco de Witt crossed for the game’s opening try.

Boland proceeded to concede five penalties in the first 15 minutes, giving referee Colby no other choice but to sin-bin hooker Joshua Eras for repeated infringements. Dylan Maart then crossed for Griquas’ second five-pointer as the visitors took a 12-3 lead.

But, somehow, Boland found their way back into the contest and saw their luck turn for a short while as Griquas prop Leon Lyons also got yellow-carded.

Lyons got pinged for a high tackle on opposite number Heiko Pholman as Boland took advantage of being a man to the good, as loose forward Sibusiso Sangewni crossed for the home team’s first try. Four minutes before halftime, Boland took a 17-12 lead courtesy of a try by winger Jayden Bantom.

But Griquas showed why they are the defending Currie Cup champions as they regained their lead by once again capitalising on the home side’s bad discipline, with Tiaan Lange diving over from a powerful maul as the visitors headed for halftime with a 19-17 lead.

The Peacock Blues struck early in the second half as they secured a bonus-point try through Carl Els.

Boland then found themselves well and truly on the ropes as Griquas scored their fifth try as the Kavas’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals began to fade away with the Wellington sunset. Fullback Stefan Coetzee crossed after a line break by winger Maart.

More misery was then piled on the Kavas as Jurick Lewis became the second player for the home side to be sent off for a dangerous tackle on Griquas’ Sako Makata.

Lourens Oosthuizen then crossed for Griquas’ seventh try as the Kimberley side hit 40 and extended their lead to 23 points with still 20 minutes remaining.

Eight minutes before the end of the contest, Gurshwin Wehr scored Griquas’ seventh try. Lunathi Nxele then became the third player to be sent off for a dangerous tackle.

The Kavaliers centre hit Wehr high and then recklessly flung the Griquas winger to the ground as his initial yellow card got upgraded to red.

As time ran out, the visitors decided to rub more salt into Boland’s wounds as George Whitehead struck a successful penalty to rack up three more points in a totally dominant second-half display.

SCORERS:
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 17 (17) – Tries: Sibusiso Sangweni, Jayden Bantom
Cons: Ashlon Davids (2)
Penalty: Davids.
Suzuki Griquas 48 (19) – Tries: Marco de Witt, Dylan Maart, Tiaan Lange, Carl Els, Stefan Coetzee, Lourens Oosthuizen, Gurshwin Wehr
Cons: Liam Koen (5)
Penalty: George Whitehead

TEAMS
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers: 15 Domenic Smit, 14 Xavier Mitchell, 13 Lunathi Nxele, 12 Jurick Lewis, 11 Jayden Bantom, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Thurlow Marsh (k), 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Johnré Stopforth, 3 Heiko Pholman, 2 Joshua Eras, 1 Mthokozisi Gumede.
Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Jeandré Leonard, 20 Kwanda Dimaza, 21 Bentley Geldenhuys, 22 Chris Smit, 23 James Tedder.

Suzuki Griquas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurshwin Wehr, 10 Liam Koen, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (k), 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons.
Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Carel van der Merwe, 21 Jack Hart, 22 George Whitehead, 23 Sako Makata.

Photo Caption: Marlyn Williams, who played in his 100th match for the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in the Carling Currie Cup against the Suzuki Griquas in Wellington. Photo by Luigi Bennett