DAVE ALEXANDER AND CORRESPONDENT

TAFEL Lager Griquas continued on their winning ways when they trounced the Leopards 54-17 at the Impala Rugby Club grounds in Rustenburg.

The Kimberley side completely dominated the encounter running in no less than seven tries in the top of the table SuperSport Rugby Challenge clash, thus redeeming themselves from their narrow 38-35 loss in the first round in Kimberley earlier in the season.

Such was Griquas’ dominance that by half-time they had already secured a bonus point for the four tries, at this point they were leading 29-5.

Dominated

The visitors completely dominated the first 20 minutes of the first half, crossing the whitewash four times in 20 minutes as they stormed to their fourth win from five games in the competition. Griquas No 8 Jason Fraser and flankers Wendal Wehr and Sias Koen gave the Leopards all sorts of headaches with Fraser crossing the whitewash twice in the space of six minutes. Scoring in the eighth and 14th minute, Fraser capped an impressive start by the visitors that saw centre Tertius Kruger and winger AJ Coertzen also rewarded with five-pointers. A single try, by Leopards No 8 Juan Language gave the hosts a glimmer of hope in the first half, but it would be one of only three tries for them on the day.

Such was the attacking game plan of the visitors, that the first scrum of the game only came after 20 minutes. Some good attacking rugby, along with good defence and some aerial ping-pong ensued, but none of the sides managed to break through. A penalty by Griquas flyhalf, André Swarts, on the stroke of halftime, gave his side a very comfortable 24-point cushion lead at the break.

The first 10 minutes of the second half continued much as it had before halftime, but a yellow card in the 49th minute shown to Leopards flyhalf Schalk Hugo meant the hosts were one man short. His opposite number, Swarts, scored shortly thereafter for Griquas and what followed was another couple of good tries by scrumhalf Renier Botha and replacement back George Whitehead.

Replacement backs for the Leopards, Jeandré Rudolph and Elden Schoeman, did well to score for the hosts, but good attacking play by Griquas and the tries and conversions that came as a result were more than enough to give the men from Kimberley the comprehensive win.