The Airlink Pumas made history when they were crowned as the Carling Currie Cup Champions for the first time after beating the Windhoek Draught Griquas26-19 in Kimberley on Saturday. The match started as a very tight and hard-fought battle with the score very even until the Pumas managed to build a 9-point lead by the end of the first half. They continued their very effective pressure play in the second half to beat the Griquas despite a late comeback attempt by the Griquas.
The Windhoek Draught Park was humming with excitement among the spectators and players alike before the match and it increased exponentially from the kick-off. Both teams conceded 3 points through penalties very early in the half. Griquas started to attack the Puma defensive line with straight and hard running and managed to gain good territory, however, the ball was turned over every time due to handling errors forced by the strong Puma defence.
The Pumas in turn used the boot to drive the Griquas back into their quarter with good tactical kicking, however, the Griquas also managed to turn over the ball with their solid defence. The possession and territory kept on changing hands. Griquas managed to set up two good attacking opportunities from penalty lineouts close to the Pumas' try line, however, they botched both throw-ins. The Pumas started to take control of the match in the latter part of the first half and forced the Griquas to concede penalties through good pressure play. The Pumas capitalised on these penalties and built their scoreboard lead to 18-09 by the end of the half.
The Pumas continued their effective pressure play in the second half. They beat the Griqua defence with clever kicks, as well as hard and straight ball carries. The Griquas struggled to get good momentum play going due to unforced errors committed by them. They managed to attack the Puma try line for the first time after 15 minutes in the second half, however, the rock-solid Puma defence turned the ball over. The Griquas however managed to beat the Puma defence soon thereafter to score a much-needed try.
The Griquas managed to create a few good attacking opportunities in the latter part of the half, however, unforced errors committed by them, as well as the relentless Puma defence, prevented them from scoring enough points and gave a well-deserved victory to the Pumas.
01:34 A penalty was given against Griquas for offside play just inside their quarter which was kicked by Eddie Fouche to open their scoring tally (03-00).
03:17 A penalty was given against the Pumas for not releasing the ball after a tackle just inside their quarter which was kicked by George Whitehead to level the score (03-03).
19:21 A penalty was given against the Pumas for not rolling away from a tackle just inside their half which was kicked by George Whitehead for Griquas to take the lead (03-06).
20:00 Both teams conceded 3 points through penalties very early in the half. Griquas started to attack the Puma defensive line with straight and hard running and managed to gain good territory, however, the ball was turned over every time due to handling errors forced by the strong Puma defence. The Pumas in turn used the boot to drive the Griquas back into their quarter with good tactical kicking, however, the Griquas also managed to turn over the ball with their solid defence. The possession and territory kept on changing hands.
22:18 Devon Williams scored a try for the Pumas in the corner after the ball was played wide quickly from a maul in the Griquas' half beating the Griquas defence out wide. The try was converted by Eddie Fouche (10-06).
29:07 A penalty was given against the Pumas for not rolling away from a tackle inside their half which was kicked by George Whitehead (10-09).
34:11 A penalty was given against Griquas right in front of the uprights inside their quarter for not rolling away after a tackle. The penalty was kicked by Eddie Fouche (13-09).
38:50 Eduan Swart scored a try for the Pumas after he crashed over the try line from a driving maul from a penalty line out 5 meters from the Griquas' try line. The conversion was missed (18-09).
40:00 Griquas managed to set up two good attacking opportunities from penalty lineouts close to the Pumas' try line, however, they botched both throw-ins. The Pumas started to take control of the match in the latter part of the first half and forced the Griquas to concede penalties through good pressure play. The Pumas capitalised on these penalties and built their scoreboard lead to 18-09 by the end of the half.
45:25 A penalty was given against Griquas inside their half for offside play. The penalty was kicked by Eddie Fouche (20-09).
49:50 Willie Engelbrecht scored a try for the Pumas after they beat the Griqua defence on the blind side from a driving maul inside the Griquas' half. The conversion was missed (26-09).
57:11 Munier Hartzenberg scored a good and much-needed try for the Griquas after slicing through the Puma defence. The try was converted by George Whitehead (26-16).
60:00 The Pumas continued their pressure play and beat the Griqua defence with clever kicks, as well as hard and straight ball carries. The Griquas struggled to get good momentum play going due to unforced errors committed by them. They managed to attack the Puma try line for the first time after 15 minutes in the second half, however, the rock-solid Puma defence turned the ball over. The Griquas eventually managed to beat the Pumas' defence soon thereafter to score a much-needed try.
79:11 A penalty was given against the Pumas which was kicked by George Whitehead (26-19).
Scorers:
Windhoek Draught Griquas: Tries: Munier Hartzenberg. Conversions: George Whitehead. Penalties: George Whitehead (4).
Airlink Pumas: Tries: Devon Williams, Eduan Swart, Willie Engelbrecht. Conversions: Eddie Fouche. Penalties: Eddie Fouche (3).
Teams:
Windhoek Draught Griquas: 15 George Whitehead, 14 Munier Hartzenberg, 13 Sango Xamlashe (captain), 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Luther Obi, 10 Zander du Plessis, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Siba Qoma, 7 Hanru Sirgel, 6 Werner Gouws, 5 Derik Pretorius, 4 Cameron Lindsay, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Kudzwai Dube. Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Andries Schutte, 19 Johan Retief, 20 Michael Amiras, 21 Johan Mulder, 22 Fiela Boshoff, 23 Chris Hollis, 24 Gustav du Rand, 25 Luyolo Dapula, 26 Raegan Oranje.
Airlink Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Tapiwa Mafura, 13 Sebastián de Klerk, 12 Eddie Fouche, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Andre Fouche, 7 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Shane Kirkwood, 4 Deon Slabbert, 3 IG Prinsloo, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Corne Fourie. Replacements: 16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Simon Raw, 19 Kwanda Dimaza, 20 Francois Kleinhans, 21 Giovan Snyman, 22 Ali Mgijima, 23 Alwayno Visagie.
Article by François du Toit