Jack's victorious start
Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:08
Winning start: Western Provibce's All Black lock Chris Jack - Pic: Rian Botes
It took Chris Jack just 20 seconds to become Newlands's latest hero. That is how long it took the great All Black lock, playing his first match for Western Province, to score the opening try. Western Province went on to win the match 29-15 and deserved at least that margin of victory.
In the pouring rain, Willem de Waal kicked off deep. The Sharks caught the ball and secured it. Rory Kockott stepped back and kicked, but Jack charged the kick down and then set off after the ball as it bounced to towards the corner. He gathered and scored.
De Waal, whose kicking was 100 percent accurate converted from the left-hand touch-line and Western Province led 7-0. It was a great start.
They were headed briefly when Kockott goaled his fourth penalty but really the match belonged to Western Province. Penalties were the only way the Sharks were going to score as they did not once look like scoring a try.
Western Province got two tries - the first not just fortuitous for the charge-down was skilled and the second off a turnover.
In the match Western Province won the turnovers hands down, thanks in no small measure to Pieter Louw though everybody contributed at the breakdown. Thanks largely to Tiaan Liebenberg who had an excellent game, Western Province even managed to do well in the scrums, wheeling one and taking one against the head. The line-outs were a steal apiece. Natal's only success was in winning the penalty count 14-10.
There was a lot of intensity in the match and even at the end emotions were barely concealed. To the onlooker it seemed that the Sharks played with greater intensity than they had against the touring Lions when they got a hiding. The tackle area was hotly contested, leaving one to wonder what on earth Bakkies Botha was suspended for.
The yellow card for Keegan Daniel early in the second half did not help his side's cause. He went off with the score 16-12 and came back when it was 26-15.
There was a lot of kicking in the rain though that abated in the second half but the Sharks carried on kicking, probably because they could not get out of their own territory.
Western Province had chances to score tries but sometimes took the bash option when a pass may well have been more profitable. The Sharks had their bacon saved more than once by Stefan Terblanche - so firm under the high ball, so wonderfully in position and then kicking a long way. He was the outstanding player on the Sharks side.
Ryan Kankowski withdrew from the Sharks side and was replaced at eighthman by Daniel who took over the captaincy when Johann Muller went off.
Muller's injury to his lower arm/wrist seemed serious. He went to tackle Louw as the flank charged forward, head down. Muller put out his right arm which collided with Louw's head. There was an unhappy sound and Muller went to ground straightaway. The referee stopped play and eventually Muller went off on the motorised stretcher. That was after 63 minutes with the score 26-15.
After Jack's try Rory Kockott kicked a penalty goal when Luke Watson was penalised for holding on. De Waal was accurate with a long kick but just short and then goaled one when Kockott was penalised at a tackle.
The Sharks kicked off and Chris Jack, back in his hometown, went high for the ball. Muller went under him which led to an outbreak of emotion in which Jannie du Plessis was robust and Watson slung Craig Burden to the ground. What was to have been a penalty against Muller became a penalty against Watson and three more points to the Sharks.
When Brok Harris was penalised at a scrum, Kockott made it 120-9 and then gave his side the lead when Louw was penalised at a tackle. That was after 28 minutes.
Four minutes later De Waal gave the lead back to Western Province when Andries Strauss was penalised for slowing the ball down in a tackle and then increased the lead when Kockott roamed wide from a scrum, and was penalised.
Western Province led 16-12 at the break.
In the second half Western Province had the northwester, not a strong one, at their backs and scored early in the half. They won a turnover off Jean Deysel and Van Zyl went blind, giving the ball quickly to Morgan Newman who raced straight ahead, drawing Terblanche too him before giving to Sireli Naqelevuki who scored in the left corner. Again De Waal converted brilliantly. 23-12.
Western Province had another chance as Joe Pietersen broke and Frikkie Welsh carried it on, but they got three back when Jacques Botes was penalised at tackle. Then Van Zyl was penalised for holding on and the Sharks closed their scoring for the day with their fifth penalty goal.
Remember the name Juan de Jongh, a 21-year-old centre who came on and looked full of speed, skill and direction. He chased a kick and footed ahead but there, inevitably, was Terblanche to save.
Western Province attacked again and only an unsympathetic bounce kept Welsh out as he ran onto a subtle grubber by prop Harris./
With six minutes to play Guy Cronjé was penalised and De Waal kicked a penalty goal from just inside his half. The ball, rose, dipped and bounced over off the crossbar to the delight of the majority in the crowd of 22 000.
Western Province were close again when Watson took a reverse pass from promising Dewaldt Duvenage and was stopped just short of the line.
Duvenage had come on earlier in the second half but after that Western Province gave all their players a chance to be a part of it, the last tranch coming on with less than a minute to go.
Man of the match: He scored try on debut and added great value to the Western Province pack's efforts. Our award goers to Chris Jack.
The scorers:
For Western Province:
Tries: Jack,
Naqelevuki
Cons: De Waal 2
Pens: De Waal 5
For The Sharks:
Pens: Kockott 5
Yellow card: Keegan Daniel (Sharks, 43 - foul play, shoulder charge at ruck)
Teams:
Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Frikkie Welsh, 13 Morgan Newman, 12 Peter Grant, 11 Sireli Naqelevuki, 10 Willem De Waal, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Pieter Louw, 6 Pieter Myburgh, 5 Anton Van Zyl, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Hanyani Shimange, 17 JD Moller, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Deon Fourie, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 Juan De Jongh, 22 Tonderai Chavhanga.
The Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Andries Strauss, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Luzuko Vulindlu, 10 Guy Cronjé, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann
Muller (captain), 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Skipper Badenhorst, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Justin Downey/Ryan Kankowski, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Chris Jordaan.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: François Veldsman, Cobus Wessels
TMO: JC Fortuin
By Paul Dobson, at Newlands
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