Griffons, Pumas off to winning start
Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:04
The Griffons and the Pumas scored victories on the opening weekend of the 2008 Currie Cup first division competition.
In Wwlkom, Nicky Steyn scored the winning try after the hooter had sounded for the Griffons to open their season with a close 34-31 victory over the Eagles on Saturday.
Former Eagles flyer Darryl Coeries scored the first two tries for his side in a very even match.
The Griffons had to contend with a very powerful Eagles scrum early on but their imports from Bloemfontein helped them to a valuable victory.
The men from George also scored three tries, but the boot of Griffons flyhalf Johann van Niekerk - one of only a handful of local players in the side - secured the victory. Van Niekerk kicked 19 points with his counterpart Ambrose Barends bagging 16.
Steyn, who represented the Griffons at age group levels, came off the bench to secure the all-important win.
Scorers:
For the Griffons:
Tries:Coeries 2,Steyn
Cons:van Niekerk 3
Pens:van Niekerk 5
For the Eagles:
Tries:van der Nest,Grimes,Munro
Cons:Barends 2
Pens:Barends 4
The Pumas squeezed home 32-30 in an all-action First Division match against the Elephants in Witbank on Friday night.
Elephant's flyhalf Michael Galinetti missed a difficult conversion in the dying seconds to draw the match.
Both sides scored four tries and the Pumas walked away with five points, thanks mainly to a super performance by new flyhalf Tiaan Marx - an ex-Pumas schoolboy star - who scored a try and kicked two conversions and a penalty goal.
Galinetti failed with two all-important conversions in the final minutes when the Elephants had their tails up and launched an all-out attack.
Elephants fullback Elrich van Vuuren had a great game in his comeback match after seven months of rehabilitation after a serious ankle injury.
Marx was ably assisted by scrumhalf Jacques Coetzee and captain Corné Steenkamp, who turned over vital ball at crucial times.
The Elephants gained two bonus points from the match and have reason to look forward to the rest of their campaign.
Scorers
For the Pumas:
Tries:Marx,Thysse,Terblanche,Sithole
Cons:Marx 2. Coetzee
Pens:Marx,Coetzee.
For the Elephants:
Tries:Nelson,Booysen,Nel,Jacobs
Cons:Galinetti 2
Pens:Galinetti2
