The Airlink Pumas kept their playoff hopes alive with a disciplined 29-07 bonus-point victory over the DHL Stormers XXIII at Mbombela Stadium.
The opening 25 minutes of the clash turned into a bruising arm wrestle as both sides struggled to break through the opposition's defensive lines. The deadlock was finally broken when Nevaldo Fleurs slotted a penalty to give the home side a slender 03-00 lead.
The Pumas began to assert their dominance in the latter stages of the first half. In the 33rd minute, scrumhalf Thomas Bursey sniped off a brilliant offload, outsprinting the Stormers' cover defence to score a spectacular 57-metre try in the corner. Fleurs added the extras to push the lead to 10-0.
Just before the break, Fleurs turned playmaker again, executing a perfectly weighted kick-pass to Banie Britz, who finished well in the corner. The missed conversion left the Pumas with a thoroughly deserved 15-0 lead heading into the tunnel.
The DHL Stormers XXIII struck back early in the second stanza. In the 52nd minute, Mfundo Ndhlovu produced a moment of magic, cutting the Pumas' defence to pieces to score his side's opening try. Kyle Smith converted, narrowing the deficit to 15-07.
However, the Pumas quickly steadied the ship and leaned on their powerful set-piece. In the 57th minute, hooker Jan-Henning Campher crashed over the whitewash off the back of a well-executed lineout maul. Fleurs kicked the conversion to re-establish a comfortable 22-7 cushion.
The bonus point was safely secured just three minutes later when loose forward JJ Scheepers bulldozed his way over the tryline. Fleurs added his third conversion of the afternoon, sealing a comprehensive 29-7 victory for the Lowvelders to keep their Currie Cup semi-final ambitions firmly on track.
Scorers:
Airlink Pumas: Tries: Thomas Bursey, Banie Britz, Jan-Henning Campher, JJ Scheepers. Conversions: Nevaldo Fleurs (3). Penalty: Nevaldo Fleurs.
DHL Stormers XXIII: Tries: Mfundo Ndhlovu. Conversion: Kyle Smith.
Teams:
Airlink Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel, 14 Alfonso Isaacs, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Nevaldo Fleurs, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (c), 7 Ruwald van der Merwe, 6 Thabo Ndimande, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Chyle van Zyl, 1 Etienne Janeke. Replacements: 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Zikisa Sali, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Andre Goedhals, 20 De Wet Marais, 21 Russwill Fredericks, 22 Jaycee Nel, 23 Darren Adonis.
DHL Stormers XXIII: 15 Dylan Miller, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Cornel Smit, 11 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis (c), 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Keke Morabe, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Tom Barnard, 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Mhleli Khuzwayo. Replacements: 16 Altus Rabe, 17 Hencus van Wyk, 18 Danie Kruger, 19 Luan Botha, 20 Xola Nyali, 21 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 22 Kyle Smith, 23 JC Mars.
