South African teams pipped in weekend PRO14 action
THE Southern Kings and Cheetahs were left counting the cost of high penalty counts and unforced errors at crucial times in their Pro14 matches as both South African sides suffered narrow defeats against their visitors from Italy and Ireland on Saturday.
Benetton beat the Southern Kings 22-19 in Port Elizabeth, while the Cheetahs went down 21-17 against Connacht in Bloemfontein.
The clash between the Kings and Benneton was entertaining as both teams showed innovation on attack. But while the hosts battled to create try-scoring chances, Benetton made good use of their opportunities, especially their rolling mauls.
Such was the effectiveness of their mauls, Hame Faiva was rewarded with a hat-trick of tries in the first half. The Kings, in turn, were only able to score one try in the half compliments of Tertius Kruger, who dashed through a small gap after receiving the ball from a rolling maul, which saw them trail 17-7 at half-time. The home side remained composed after the break and found their rhythm as the match progressed, while they also managed to shut out Benetton’s rolling mauls.
These efforts saw the Italians score only one try after the break, although that was enough to earn them a bonus point. The Kings’ never-say-die attitude on attack, meanwhile, saw them cross the tryline twice in the dying minutes, as Luvuyo Pupuma crashed over after receiving the ball from a quick tap, while Kruger scored his second try after gathering a loose ball in the final movement of the match.
In Bloemfontein, unforced errors were the story of the day for the Cheetahs, who went down against Connacht despite outscoring the visitors three tries to two and boasting 65 percent possession in the first half.
In the other matches, Munster defeated Edinburgh 44-14 in Cork, Ospreys outplayed Zebre 43-0 in Swansea, Ulster held on for a 16-12 victory Cardiff Blues in Belfast, Leinster thumped the Dragons 59-10 in Newport, and the Glasgow Warriors beat the Scarlets 29-20 in Glasgow.
| African News Agency (ANA)