Slick Puma take bite out of EP challenge
Mpumalanga side triumph thanks to balanced play
Eastern Province lost their second Craven Week game when they were beaten 45-29 by the Pumas in Paarl on Wednesday.
After losing to the Golden Lions on the opening day of the tournament, EP were unable to come up with a winning recipe.
The Mpumalanga team raced to a 33-10 halftime lead thanks to a well-balanced performance and solid defensive effort, and did well to capitalise on their opportunities.
Coenraad Visser, in particular, was in fine form, scoring two tries and five conversions for a personal tally of 20 points.
Eastern Province tried hard to stay in the game, but the Pumas proved too good.
EP’s try-scorers were Octavian Muller, Zukisa Sali, Enrique Franks and Claude Jacobs.
The Youth Week tournaments continued to deliver top-class action on Wednesday, with six teams still unbeaten at Paarl Boys’ High’s Bridge Street grounds – Western Province and Border in the U18 Craven Week, and the Valke, Western Province, Namibia and Zimbabwe in Academy Week.
Western Province and the Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions were involved in an epic main game of the day in the U18 Coca-Cola, but the home team’s solid forward play and determined defensive effort saw them register a 13-5 victory.
The Western Cape team kicked two penalty goals to a try by their Gauteng counterparts, giving them a 6-5 lead at the break.
The second half was equally tight, with both sides trying hard to break through the defence, but Western Province crashed through for their only try of the match, by Adrian Alberts, to seal the victory.
Build-it Border delivered a committed performance from start to end, stamping their authority on attack and standing their ground on defence, powering their way to a 52-12 victory over the Griffons.
Their dominant showing saw them cruise to a 33-5 halftime lead, which they maintained in the second half.
Jacques Goosen was in sublime form for the East London side, contributing four of his team’s eight tries.
The Blue Bulls XV produced a solid showing thanks to the interplay between forwards and backs, combined with effective tactical kicking, which paved the way for a 55-5 victory over the Unitrans Limpopo Blue Bulls.
The Pretoria side ran in an impressive nine tries, with Enrique Coutriers and Junior Snyman getting hat-tricks, while the Limpopo outfit were limited to a solitary first-half try.
In the Coca-Cola Academy Week, hosts DHL Western Province were in top form against the Sharks, delivering a complete performance to overpower the Durbanites 67-14.