Province snatch last-gasp win
What a shock! You had to look at the scoreboard for confirmation that Western Province had beaten Free State 19-17 in the last match of the 2009 Craven Week in East London. It seemed that Free State had had the match sewn up.
For 56 of the 70 minutes of the match the Free State were ahead and deserved to be. They were better in the line-out where Western Province lost five out of 10. Lighter, the Free State were still better in the scrums, making it hard for Western Province to get their ball away and even taking two tightheads, one a vital one. They were better in the tackle.
Western Province played with the strong wind in the first half but Free State were far and away the better side. They dominated possession and scored two tries and led an unflattering 14-6 at half-time.
Western Province actually scored first when Craig Barry kicked a long dropped goal inside the first minute of the match. Then the Free State took over. To their credit, even though they were with the wind, Western Province ran at every chance but were starved of possession, running off scraps but, as was the case throughout the match, running better than the Free State.
Free State got the first try, an exquisite one. From a scrum on the left they went left and there excellent flyhalf Johan Goosen picked Riaan Britz between the two centres and the fullback raced through for some 50 metres to score under the bar. Goosen converted. 7-3 after 13.
Free State went further ahead when Goosen charged down an attempted clearance by Barry, gathered and raced off to the posts for a try which he converted. 14-3 after 19 minutes.
It seemed then that Free State were going to do to Western Province what they did in Stellenbosch two years ago, but the men from the Cape kept hanging in there, tackling, getting in the way and restricting the Free State to just one more score.
When the Free State were offside at a line-out William van Wyk goaled. 14-6.
Western Province could have done even better when Van Wyk broke and they had a 3-against-1 situation but failed to score.
Free State got on the board first in the second half when Goosen goaled a penalty. 17-6 and the Free State had the wind at their backs. For all but a brief period in the half they spent the half in their own half.
Western Province overthrew a line-out but Jody Reyneke was there to catch the ball and dart some 15 metres to score. 17-11 after 39 minutes.
Western Province came desperately close when burly Nizaam Carr powered towards the line and was over but, brilliantly, prop Stephanus Pretorius stopped him from grounding the ball. This produced a five-metre scrum to Western Province but Free State took their second tighthead of the match and cleared.
More and more Free State were looking jittery. Gone was the lean of the first half as they found themselves, wind assisted and defending.
Western Province had a run and Carr passed underarm to his left where Free State were penalised for an early tackle. Into the wind and from an acute angle Van Wyk goaled, 17-14. Western Province were getting closer and were even closer still but Van Wyk missed two penalty attempts. In this half Free State were penalised seven to two as they defended and infringed.
After 20 minutes on defence the Free State broke out when Western Province let the ball bounce and Siyasanga Mkunku footed ahead. The Free State then enjoyed a brief time out of their own half but they did not profit from it. Instead Western Province started running well within their own 22. They were under pressure and bungled till Carr cam away on the right and JP du Plessis did well till the ball came to Barry on the right wing. He chipped ahead, chased and gathered the benign bounce to score in the right corner.
There was just time for the kick-off which Free State, nerve gone, kicked directly into touch.
It was a hotly contested but bitty game in which the referee gave the players every possible chance to play.
Scorers:
For Western Province:
Tries: Reyneke, Barry
Pens: Van Wyk 3
For Free State:
Tries: Britz, Goosen
Cons: Goosen 2
Pen: Goosen
Teams:
Western Province: 15 Logan Solomons (Scottsdene), 14 Zingisa Ndiki (Wynberg Boys’ High), 13 Tshotsho Mbovane (Paul Roos Gymnasium), 12 JP du Plessis (Paul Roos Gymnasium), 11 JR Esterhuizen (Paarl Gymnasium), 10 William van Wyk (Paarl Gymnasium), 9 Rick Schroeder (Paul Roos Gymnasium, captain), 8 Christiaan Smith (Paarl Gymnasium), 7 Nizaam Carr (Bishops), 6 Heinrich Marcus (Excelsior), 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys (Paarl Boys’ High), 4 Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg High), 3 Frans Malherbe (Paarl Boys’ High, vice captain), 2 Gareth Topkin (Rondebosch Boys’ High), 1 Adriaan Botha (Paarl Boys’ High), 16 Neil Rautenbach (Paarl Boys’ High), 17 Steven Kitshoff (Paul Roos Gymnasium), 18 Braam Steyn (Paul Roos Gymnasium), 19 Jodi Reyneke (Tygerberg High), 20 Jean Rossouw (Strand High), 21 Sam Lane (Bishops), 22 Craig Barry (Paul Roos Gymnasium)
Free State: 15 Riaan Britz (Grey College), 14 Siyasanga Mkunku (Louis Botha), 13 Piet Lindeque (Grey College), 12 Francois Venter (Grey College), 11 Chejan Mallane (Grey College), 10 Johan Goosen (Grey College), 9 Pieter Rademan (Grey College, captain), 8 Niell Jordaan (Grey College), 7 Jean Cook (Grey College), 6 Oscar Lemane (Louis Botha), 5 Carl Wegner (Grey College), 4 Nkululeku Mthethwa (Louis Botha), 3 Stephan Pretorius (Grey College), 2 Bernard van Heerden (Grey College), 1 Stephan Kotze (Grey College), 16 Van Zyl Botha (Grey College), 17 Lerato Ramahlape (Louis Botha), 18 Heinrich Douglas (Louis Botha), 19 Egbert Ras (Grey College), 20 Zuluboy Duma (Louis Botha), 21 Siphosetu Tom (Grey College), 22 Brian Malakoane (Sentraal).
Referee: Archie Sehlako