Free State the top dogs - again

Free State beat the Golden Lions by 28-17 in the final match of the 2011 Craven Week on Saturday, meaning the Free Staters have once again ended up as the provincial kings of South African schoolboy rugby.

Both teams scored three tries each, but the Lions were guilty of far too many errors and not taking their chances on the day in a quality encounter at Kimberley's GWK Park.

Free State, on the other hand, needed no second invitation - when it came to taking their opportunities - and, after 52 minutes, a rout looked on the cards as they led 28-5.

Jannie Strumpher kicked two conversions and three penalties for Free State, to go with tries by wing Ruwellyn Isbell, scrumhalf Nhlanhla Hlongwane and centre Jan Serfontein, whilst the Lions could muster just one successful kick at goal - a conversion by Tshepo Mooki - from five attempts. The Lions' tries were scored by Jaco van der Walt, Dirk Kotzé and Sifiso Shabangu.

Free State - who ended the 2011 Craven Week unbeaten, along with provincial neighbours, the Griffons (the only two sides to do so) - led by 13-5 at half-time; thanks to Isbell's try and the boot of Strumpher.

Isbell's five-pointer, in the ninth minute - coupled with Strumpher's conversion, put the Free Staters ahead by 7-0, before the Lions hit back through an intercept try by Lions flyhalf Jaco van der Walt; a great effort from the man who had landed the long-range winning penalty against KZN earlier in the week.

Van der Walt missed the touchline conversion, to leave the his team trailing by 5-7, but his miss was to be a sign of things to come as the Golden Lions were unable to add any more first-half points; Strumpher, however, kicking two penalties to extend FS's lead to eight points at the break.

Strumpher then stretched Free State's lead to 16-5 shortly after half-time, with No.10 Van der Walt missing his third shot at goal some three minutes later.

At 5-16 down after 40 minutes, the Lions were by no means completely out of it, but a two-try blitz from Free State - between minutes 43 and 52 - officially put the Lioins out of it as the Men from Bloem racked up their 28-5 lead.

Both tries, it must be said, came from Lions errors and Free State brilliance.

The first - of these two, but second overall - originated from a turnover in Free State's half when the Lions could easily have scored themselves had the final pass gone to hand. Strumpher straightened on the counter-attack and linked up with his teammates out wide before nippy scrumhalf Nhlanhla Hlongwane found himself with the ball on the wing. The little halfback ran, then chipped over Van der Walt and collected the ball before diving over - jubilantly - for what was, effectively, a 14-point swing.

21-5 then soon became 28-5 when Free State's impressive inside centre Jan Serfontein capatilised on another Lions error to run in virtually unopposed. A serious rout seemed on the cards.

But that 23-point deficit ended up spurring the Lions on as they scored two unanswered tries to end the match with some honour. First prop Dirk Kotzé went over from close-range - after an earlier tap penalty - and replacement Sifiso Shabangu then benefitted from a well-timed long pass from right-wing Charlton Afrika to narrow the score to 15-28.

Left-wing Tshepo Mooki was then handed the kicking duties - after Van der Walt's four misses - and his well-taken conversion suggested, perhaps, that things could have been different had the Lions landed their kicks at goal.

Truth be told, however, this was always going to be Free State's day.

They took their chances better - of the try-scoring variety and otherwise - and with the possession stakes ending even, they were full value in this fixture - the fifth year in a row that they had 'qualified' for the Craven Week finale and their second successive triumph in the tournament's main game.

The scorers:

For the Free State:
Tries: Isbell, Hlongwane, Serfontein
Cons: Strumpher 2
Pens: Strumpher 3

For the Golden Lions:
Tries: Van der Walt, Kotzé, Shabangu
Con: Mooki

The teams:

Free State: 15 Wihan Lombard, 14 Franscois Pretorius, 13 Dries Swanepoel (captain), 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Ruwellyn Isbell, 10 Pieter Jordaan, 9 Nhlanhla Hlongwane, 8 Jacob Nicolaas Immelman, 7 Leneve Damens, 6 Henco Greyling, 5 Gerhardus Olivier, 4 Thuso Chalatsi, 3 Johann Fouche, 2 Jacques du Toit, 1 Kwena Collins Moremi.
Replacements: 16 Frans Jordaan, 17 Philip Botha, 18 Hendrik-Schalk Theron, 19 Mosoeu Maruping, 20 Mualaba Mukendi, 21 Arnoldus Vosloo, 22 Jannie Strumpher.

Lions: 15 C-Than Moos, 14 Charlton Afrika, 13 Shaun Conradie, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Tshepo Mooki, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Ruhann Kruger, 8 Ruan Steenkamp (captain), 7 Christiaan Massyn, 6 Tumelo Moloi, 5 Philip du Preez, 4 Jan Stander, 3 Dirk Kotzé, 2 Eugene le Maitre, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Theunis Reynolds, 17 Jaco Victor, 18 Sabath Mmatli, 19 Daniel Bope, 20 Sifiso Shabangu, 21 Chad de Klerk, 22 Senzo Shabalala.

Referee: Lusanda Jam