Currie Cup Roundup – Week 3

In week 3 action in the Currie Cup, Boland continued to surprise while Western Province delivered another poor performance.

Currie Cup Results for Week 3:

July 6: Valke 33 – 39 Boland, Brakpan
July 6: Sharks 32 – 16 Western Province, Durban
July 7: Cheetahs 51 – 10 Griquas, Bloemfontein
July 7: Blue Bulls 25 – 11 Golden Lions, Pretoria

Game Reviews:

Valke 33 – 39 Boland

A great performance by Boland flyhalf Ismaeel Dollie saw Boland emerge victorious for the second week in a row after beating a hapless Western Province side last week. The hard-fought victory was all the more important as it was away from home. Dollie scored a try, kicked two penalties and landed four conversions for a contribution of 19 points. Boland led 24-17 at half time.

Scorers:

Boland Cavaliers (39)
Tries: Henley du Plessis, John Daniels, Jongi Nokwe, Ismaeel Dollie, Andries Human Conversions: Ismaeel Dollie (4)
Penalties: Ismaeel Dollie (2)

Falcons (33)
Tries: Jacques Nieuwenhuis, Mpho Matsaung, Riaan Viljoen
Conversions: Len Olivier (2), Jacques Schutte
Penalties: Len Olivier, Jacques Schutte (3)

Sharks 32 – 16 Western Province

Another deplorable performance from Western Province after an equally shocking display last week against Boland. Once again the WP side looked impressive on paper and then looked clueless on the field. What is Kobus van der Merwe doing? I’m not sure even he knows.

This was one of the most gutless performances from a Province side in living memory. The Sharks were just slightly better in the skills department, but were streets ahead when it came to commitment. Stefan Terblanche, playing a cameo role for his old side during the northern hemisphere off-season, was sensational. He hardly put a foot wrong and was rewarded with two good tries.

Scorers:

Sharks (32)
Tries: Stefan Terblanche (2), Brad Barritt, Odwa Ndungane
Conversions: Rory Kockott (3)
Penalties: Rory Kockott (2)

Western Province (16)
Try: Justin Melck
Conversion: Naas Olivier
Penalties: Naas Olivier (2), Joe Pietersen

Cheetahs 51 – 10 Griquas

An impressive second half performance from the perennially-irritating-Perpignon-bound Phillip Burger helped the Cheetahs to their third victory in a row in this year’s competition. Burger’s heroics included a 40m drop-goal and a brilliant solo try in the 55th minute. Griquas defended well but were no match for the Cheetahs game-breakers.

Scorers:

Cheetahs (51)
Tries: Jonathan Mokuena, Heinrich Brussouw (2), Richardt Strauss, Phillip Burger, Tewis de Bruyn, Alwyn Hollenbach
Conversions: Willem de Waal (2), Tewis de Bruyn (2)
Penalty: Willem de Waal
Drop-goal: Phillip Burger

Griquas (10)
Try: Zayn Kirchner
Conversion: Conrad Barnard
Penalty: Conrad Barnard

Blue Bulls 25 – 11 Golden Lions

A hat-trick of tries from the Bulls’ John Mametsa secured victory for the home side after a surprising loss to Griquas last week. The Lions fought valiantly for most of the game against a rampant Bulls side, but in the end it was the finishing of Mametsa that made the difference for the Bulls.

Scorers

Blue Bulls (25)
Tries: John Mametsa (3)
Conversions: Morne Steyn (2)
Penalties: Morne Steyn (2)

Golden Lions (11)
Try: Ryno Benjamin
Penalties: Jano Vermaak (2)

Currie Cup Table – Week 3:

01. Cheetahs – 15
02. Blue Bulls – 09
03. Boland – 09
04. Sharks – 06
05. Golden Lions – 05
06. Western Province – 05
07. Griquas – 04
08. Valke – 01

Next Week’s Fixture:

July 14: Sharks vs Wildeklawer Griquas – Absa Stadium, Durban, 15.00 SA