WP and Bulls in 2022 Craven Week final game
DAY FOUR WRAP: Two of the three undefeated sides at the 2022 Craven Week tournament, Western Province and the Blue Bulls, will contest the final match of this year’s Craven Week on Saturday after the team from Pretoria recorded a good win over SWD on Thursday.
The Blue Bulls put in an impressive display to beat SWD by 34-15 on a rainy day at Rondebosch Boys’ High School in Cape Town, which tested different skill sets to earlier in the week, when matches were played in clear conditions, while the Pumas, the only other undefeated team at the tournament, were equally impressive in the way they dismantled Tthe Griffons, winning 48-18.
The Golden Lions bounced back from their opening defeat to beat Free State by 30-22, meaning that the Bloemfontein side suffered two consecutive defeats at the tournament.
In the opening match of the day, Limpopo Blue Bulls beat the Leopards by 24-17 in a tight encounter. The Limpopo side scored four tries to three in yet another entertaining match at the tournament, which showed that despite the two year absence, it has not lost the ability to thrill crowds and bring the best out of players.
The match between the Golden Lions and Free State was a tight affair, with the Gauteng side holding a two-point lead at the break. The eight-point winning margin was largely because of the goal kicking by their fullback, JT Kapank, who slotted three penalty goals at crucial times of the match to maintain the scoreboard pressure and it delivered the win for his side.
The Pumas ran the Griffons side off their feet, scoring eight tries to three. They were dominant from the start, scoring three unanswered tries in the first half and although the team from Welkom offered some resistance in the second half, the Pumas accelerated and won easily in the end.
The Blue Bulls earned their stripes against a gutsy SWD side by relentless pressure from their pack and accurate kicking from their halfback pairing. They adapted the best to the slippery conditions and every time it looked like SWD were building momentum, the Pretoria team would score points to halt that again.
Day Four scores and scorers:
Pumas 48 (19) - Griffons 18 (3)
The scorers:
For Pumas:
Tries: Fumani Chauke, Francois Odendaal, Danny van Staden, Tyron Moolman, Grant de Jager, Rinkhals Smit 2, Philasande Ntshapela
Cons: Hardus Visser 4.
For Griffons:
Tries: Jayleigh Arends, Kaleb Kriek, Ruben Kruger
Pen: Nalie Kiewiet
Golden Lions 30 (10) - Free State 22 (8)
The scorers:
For Lions:
Tries: Ruan Welman, JT Kapank, Deon Groenewald.
Con: Kapank
Penas: Kapank 3.
For Free State:
Tries: Jermairon Ruiters, Ulrich Wahl, Penalty Try
Con: Bradley Giddy
Pen: Giddy
Limpopo Blue Bulls 24 (12) - Leopards 17 (5)
The scorers:
For Limpopo:
Tries: Carl Dohse, Joy Ngobeni, Orediretse Rathokolo 2
Cons: Tristan Brits 2
For Leopards:
Tries: Zandro Bezuidenhout, Erich Snyman, Teboho Sekonyela
Con: Snyman
Blue Bulls 34 - SWD 15
For Blue Bulls:
Tries: De Wet Lottering 2, Abri van der Westhuizen, Mietie Erasmus
Con: Stehan Heymans
Pens: Heymans 2
For SWD:
Tries: Michael Lamont, Werner Groenewald
Con: John-Taylor Strydom
Pen: Strydom
Final day fixtures for Saturday:
Meadows Two:
09h00: Leopards v Boland
10h30: Limpopo Blue Bulls v Eastern Province
Meadows One:
09h00: Pumas v Griquas
10h30: Falcons v Griffons
Tinkie Heyns Field:
09.00: Western Province XV v Free State
10.30: Golden Lions v Border
12.00: Sharks High Schools v SWD
13.30: Western Province v Blue Bulls