Cavaliers edge 14-man Pumas
The Pumas, forced to play with 14 men for more than 50 minutes, were probably their own worst enemies.
It was the Cavaliers' second win of the season, with the Pumas still looking for their first victory.
However, the Cavaliers deserve praise for their enthusiasm and determination in the face of a physical battering from the visiting forwards.
Tactically the Pumas were naive and many of the players showed selfish tendencies. It cost them dearly, as they constantly turned the ball over
In contrast, the Cavaliers played as a cohesive unit, with great energy.
In the second half the visitors, despite being a man down, lifted the tempo and became more secure in their ball control – forcing the Cavaliers to defend for long periods at a time.
However, the Cavaliers showed greater patience and took their opportunities to seal a deserved win.
It was a nervous start by both teams, with the Pumas, in particular, butchering a couple of early scoring opportunities.
It was Pumas hooker Frank Herne who eventually broke the deadlock in the eighth minute – sitting at the back of a powerful maul. The conversion was wide – 5-0 to the visitors.
Theuns Kotze replied with a penalty for the Cavaliers in the 12th minute, but the penalties started to mount against the Boland team – as their discipline let them down.
And in the 16th minute, the Cavaliers were reduced to 14 men, with flank Shaun Adendorf sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements at the breakdown.
However, at the end of the first quarter, while still a man down, Boland fullback Adriaan Carelse threw a massive dummy and stepped his way past the cover defence for his team's first try. Kotze added the conversion – 10-5.
It went from bad to worse for the visitors, when centre Tyler Fisher was shown a red card for foul play in the 27th minute – for striking an opponent withy the elbow in the face.
Right in the stroke of half-time Kotze slotted a sweetly-struck drop-goal to give the home team a 13-5 lead at the break.
The Pumas got the second half off to a good start, as some great interplay between the forwards saw captain Renaldo Bothma sprint down the right wing and over for his team's second try. Again the conversion was wide – 10-13.
And the visitors continued with their battering-ram tactics – taking the ball through 20-odd phases before centre Leighton van Wyk found a way over the line. Flyhalf Francois Brummer finally slotted a kick – 17-13 after 57 minutes.
It didn't take Boland long to regain the lead – star loose forward Shaun Adendorff ripping the ball from an opponent;'s hands to flop over the line at a time when it seemed the Pumas' defence might secure a crucial turnover. Kotze finally missed a kick – 18-17.
That was followed by a try from replacement Robbie Louw, as the Cavaliers continued to pound the Pumas' line. This time, Kotze added the extra – 25-17 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
With two minutes remaining on the clock replacement scrumhalf Kevin Luiters, from a quick-tap penalty, sniped between a couple of defenders and went over for a score that gave his team some hope of a late winner.
However, with the conversion wide again, it required a try and the Pumas just didn't have the patience – gifting the Pumas their second win of the season.
Man of the match: Marnus Schoeman was busy and Renaldo Bothma was almost brutal in the physical exchanges. Fullback Devon Williams was a rare creative spark for the visitors. Boland flyhalf Theuns Kotze made almost as many turnovers as his loose forwards and produced a kicking masterclass. Cavaliers scrumhalf Marnus Hugo was the tactical genius that kept his team on the front foot. However, our award goes to Boland flank Shaun Adendorff, who was the spark that set the Boland pack alive and produced a couple of crucial plays – including a try that regained the lead for his team.
The scorers:
For Boland:
Tries:Carelse, Adendorff, Louw
Cons: Kotze 2
Pen: Kotze
DG: Kotze
Pumas:
Tries:Herne, Bothma, Van Wyk, Luiters
Con: Brummer
Yellow card: Shaun Adendorff (Boland Cavaliers, 16 – repeated infringements, not rolling away at the ruck)
Red card: Tyler Fisher (Pumas, 27 – foul play, elbow to the face)
Teams:
Boland Cavaliers: 15 Adriaan Carelse, 14 Gerrit van Wyk, 13 Christopher Bosch, 12 Ryan Nel (captain), 11 Danwel Demas, 10 Theuns Kotze, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Shaun McDoland, 6 Shaun Adendorff, 5 Joubert Horn, 4 Hanno Kitshoff, 3 Enoch Mnyaka, 2 Clemen Lewis, 1 Linda Thwala.
Replacements: 16 Francois Esterhuizen, 17 SP Wessels, 18 Ockie van Zyl, 19 Wayne Wilschut, 20 Kenan Cronje, 21 Gerhard Jordaan, 22 Robbie Louw.
Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Bernardo Botha, 13 Tyler Fisher, 12 Leighton van Wyk, 11 Jean-Paul Lewis, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Emile Temperman, 8 Renaldo Bothma (captain), 7 Nardus van der Walt, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Jannie Stander, 3 Marne Coetzee, 2 Frank Herne, 1 De Jay Terblanche.
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Khwezi Mona, 18 Wiehan Hay, 19 Lambert Groenewald, 20 Kevin Luiters, 21 Marlou van Niekerk, 22 Ruwellyn Isbell.
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Divan Uys
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
