Leopards survive at the top
Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:18
The Leopards secured their place in the Currie Cup's Premier Division even though the South Western Districts Eagles beat them 18-17 at Outeniqua Park in George on a sunny but windy Friday afternoon.
The losing team won and the winning team lost. The winning team were sad and the losing team were happy - so happy that even coach Chaka Willemse cracked a smile - not a broad smile but a contented one. It was all a matter of four points in the end - the points' difference.
The Leopard won the first one by five points, the Eagles the second by one point. Four points - two conversions. Thanks to lots of effort and a genius of a grubber by Basil de Doncker the Leopards stay in the premier division of the Currie Cup.
It was a match the Eagles could well have won by more. In fact they started looking as if they were going to run away with it, but then for an hour they did not score a point as the Leopards dominated possession. Even with nearly 70 percent of possession in the second half the Leopards could have been more heavily defeated, mainly through their own errors - bad handling above all and a multitude of turnovers.
The Leopards added to their problems by uncertain line-outs and by a yellow card in the first half that led to South Western Districts' second try.
If you want to pick on small points that add up to big results, there were two touches from penalties which South Western Districts missed, a conversion missed and then an early charge that gave the Leopards a chance to convert again and to do so successfully. And the winning score came from a line-out inside the Eagles' 22. It was inside because the ball was taken back before being kicked directly out.
Bevin Fortuin led his team out onto Outeniqua Park in his home town, not only because he was the captain, but also because it was his 100th match. After just 30 seconds of the match it seemed that Fortuin's achievement was going to be a fiesta, as wind instruments provided rugby's answer to the vuvuzela.
Playing with the wind, Riccardo Croy kicked deep. In dreaming fashion the Leopards looked at the ball and let it bounce as the Eagles came swooping in. The Eagles got the ball and went right where Fortuin handed off Danie Dames and ran the short distance to score. Croy converted. 7-0.
The Leopards were intent on scoring tries, looking for the bonus point, running strongly but bounced back by stout tackling.
Really the Eagles were on top and Croy dropped a goal. 10-0 after 13 minutes. This may not have been as good an idea as it seemed as twice after this he dropped at goal and once Fortuin had a go. None came close to scoring.
When Nardus Lombard was reported for foul play and sin-binned the Eagles scored eight points. First Croy goaled a penalty. 13-0 after 19 minutes. Now the Eagles ran with Joe Breytenbach, Bobby Joubert and Fortuin prominent, and they got their second try as a direct result of Lombaard's absence.
The Leopards put into a scrum inside their own 22 and the Eagles simply shoved them away to get a quick tighthead. They went right and Croy threw a perfect pass to Norman Nelson who had an easy run-in. Croy missed the conversion which was not all that hard. 18-0 after 21 minutes.
Here endeth Eagles' scoring.
The Leopards had two eminently kickable penalties and went in search of tries. First they had a scrum in front of the Eagles' goal and then formed a five-metre line-out. They threw the line-out to the front man and came within an ace of scoring.
Then Jovan Bowles, who must be close to being the best passer of a rugby ball in South Africa, sniped ahead, Deon van Rensburg carried it on and Dames came in on an angle that took him close to the line as Nelson felled him but De Doncker was on hand to snatch, stretch and score. Cecil Dumond, who had been short with a long kick into the wind, converted from far out. 18-7. which was the half-time score.
The second half belonged to the Leopards who simply wore the Eagles down. It seemed that they would never score till they went right through many phases. De Doncker took a short pass and immediately dropped the ball onto the boot for a perfect grubber which stood up and waited as Van Rensburg raced onto the ball for a try. It was a moment of rugby perfection.
Clayton Durand missed the first conversion attempt but was allowed to kick again as Nelson was ruled to have charged early. The second time Durand goaled. 18-14 after 67 minutes. From a scrum substitute scrumhalf Jandré Blom tried to break on the open side, was tackled and hung on, and Durand made it 18-17.
The Eagles had their moments, none better than when they made a penalty into a five-metre line-out and mauled, only to knock on in the maul.
Nelson had a good break to send Joubert racing at the line but Bom Samaai intervened and saved.
The Eagles attacked now but the Leopards did not miss a single tackle. The Leopards played keep-ball but lost another turnover only for the Eagles to turnover again. From a line-out the Eagles ran hither and thither and wherever they were the Leopards brought them down. There were phases but no advance till the ball was dropped and Michael Bondisio hoofed it into the Premier Division for 2010.
Man of the Match: That fearless will-o-the-wisp, everywhere man Michael Bondisio who can do everything a rugby player should do from tackling to running.
Scorers:
For South Western Districts Eagles:
Tries: Fortuin, Nelson
Con: Croy
Pen: Croy
DG: Croy
For Leopards:
Tries: De Doncker, Van Rensburg
Cons: Dumond, Durand
Pen:
Durand
Teams:
South Western Districts Eagles: 15 Bevin Fortuin (captain), 14 Norman Nelson, 13 Bobbie Joubert, 12 Joe Breytenbach, 11 Baldwin McBean, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Dougie Hellmuth, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Shawn Raubenheimer, 6 Victor Joubert, 5 Henry Grimes, 4 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 3 Tiaan de Kock, 2 Wayne Bennett, 1 Jaco Terblanche.
Replacements: 16 Junior Leota, 17 Anton van der Westhuizen, 18 Hein Potgieter, 19 Wickus Liebenberg, 20 Jandré Blom, 21 Sinethemba Zweni, 22 Jandré du Plessis.
Leopards: 15 Danie Dames, 14 Jovan Bowles, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Basil de Doncker, 11 Shuaib Samaai, 10 Cecil Dumond, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 RW Kember, 7 Bennie Adams, 6 Wilhelm Koch/Christo van Niekerk (captain), 5 Edrich Linde, 4 Rynard Landman, 3 Barend van der Walt, 2 Gavin Williamson, 1 Nardus Lombard.
Replacements: 16 Marthinus van der Westhuizen, 17 Divan Kotzé, 18 Antonie
Gronum, 19 Christo van Niekerk/Riaan Swanepoel, 20 Theo van Wyk, 21 Clayton Durand, 22 Colin Lloyd.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Gareth Lloyd-Jones, Marc van Zyl
TMO: Johann Meuwesen
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