EP humiliated by opposition teams
EASTERN Province rugby stumbled to a new low when their senior and two junior teams haemorrhaged 256 points while mustering only 17 in reply during a bloodbath weekend.
It was open season on all EP Elephant teams with their bulls and calves being mercilessly hunted down by rivals.
The slaughter started on Friday in Despatch when the Elephants U21 side were hammered 120-0 by Lions Cubs.
There was no escape, either, for the Elephants U19 side.
They felt the full bore of a high calibre Lions elephant gun when they stumbled to a 66-5 defeat against the visitors from Johannesburg
The EP U19 side are now winless after seven outings and have leaked a massive 503 points in the process.
On Saturday the bloodbath continued when the Elephants senior team were culled 70-12 by a rampant Boland Cavaliers side at the Van Zyl Street Sports Grounds in Robertson in a Currie Cup First Division clash.
Before the action, a wary EP president Andre Rademan had said things had not been looking good for his teams because they were fielding club players against professionals.
He remained adamant, however, that EP would fulfil all their fixtures, despite the problems his union were enduring.
One wonders whether Rademan and his executive will have a rethink after the latest round of heavy defeats.
In Robertson, Boland ran in 10 tries to thrash the Elephants in a one-sided game.
They ran the ball from the outset and waves of attack resulted in them scoring almost at will.
Centre Gerrit van Wyk got the scoreboard ticking over only three minutes into the match with a try converted by scrumhalf Jaywin Juries.
There were four more firsthalf tries through centre Valentino Wellman (2), lock Marlyn Williams and flank Tapiwa Tsomondo. Juries slotted all four conversions.
The Elephants’ first half points came via a try by eighthman Zingisa April.
There were five more converted tries in the second half for the Cavaliers with eighthman Zandre Zordaan (2), right win Charles Mayeza and prop Clinton Theron crossing the tryline while Tsomondo also got in for a second score. Jacquin Jansen kicked four of the conversions and Elgar Watts the other.
EP’s other points in the match came through a try by replacement Diego Williams converted by Henrique Olivier.
The U21 Golden Lions fulfilled their promise by running away with Eastern Province in a one-sided match in Despatch.
Fullback Gianni Lombard bagged 36 points, which included two tries and 13 conversions. The Lions Cubs scored nine tries in each half, 61 points in the first half and 59 in the second.
Scorers: First Division Boland Cavaliers: Tries: Gerrit van Wyk, Valentino Wellman (2), Marlyn Williams, Tapiwa Tsomondo (2), Zandre Zordaan (2), Charles Mayeza, Clinton Theron. Conversions: Jaywin Juries (5), Jacquin Jansen (4), Elgar Watts.
EP Elephants: Tries: Zingisa April, Diego Williams.
Conversion: Henrique Olivier.