Currie Cup Bulletin #28

The Fidelity ADT Lions will host the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division final for the second successive season when Suzuki Griquas travel to Johannesburg next weekend after the two teams managed to progress to the decider by winning their semi-finals matches staged on Saturday evening.

The Lions booked their second final in a row when they romped to a 67-19 triumph over a gallant Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at Ellis Park. In the second semi-final, at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley, Griquas defeated their neighbours, the Toyota Cheetahs, by 24-5 to secure their place in Saturday’s final, with kick-off planned for 15h00 (to be confirmed).

The Fidelity ADT Lions, fielding a team stacked with Vodacom URC players, established their authority early in their semi-final and held a commanding 41-5 lead at halftime, easily outscoring the brave Kavaliers by 10 tries to three.

Lions wing Angelo Davids led the scoring with a blistering performance which resulted in four tries, three of those scored in a thrilling first half. Henco van Wyk contributed two, while SJ Kotze, Quan Horn, and Renzo du Plessis each scored one. The hosts were also awarded penalty try.

Chris Smith (flyhalf) was a major contributor with his boot, pulling the strings behind a dominant pack and scoring 15 points from six conversions and a penalty goal.

Boland, who won the First Division last year and emerged as the season’s surprise package with four league wins, managed to score three tries in the end through Sidney Tobias, Jayden Bantom, and Chriswill September, with James Tedder kicking two conversions.

Unfortunately, Tedder was also yellow carded late in the second half when he illegally stopped a Lions attack, which led to the hosts’ penalty try.

In the second semi-final, staged in in Kimberley, Suzuki Griquas progressed to their second final in four years with a hard-fought 25-5 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs. The win was inspired by two moments of individual brilliance from wing Dylan Maart, who scored a crucial brace of tries.

The men from Kimberley led 12-5 at the halfway staged and scored two tries in die second half without conceding any points.

They started the match with a quick-fire blitz of tries, which laid the foundation for a solid win in the Diamond City. Following a scrum penalty and an attacking lineout, the ball was spread wide before Zane Bester brought it back inside, creating the space for Albert Liebenberg to score the opening try.

Almost immediately after, the speedy Maart chased down a kick and, after the ball bounced favourably, he ran two-thirds of the field to score his first try of the eening game. This double-strike saw the home side take a commanding 12-0 lead.

However, the Cheetahs hit back just three minutes later, with a try from wing Prince Nkabinde after a turnover and successful offload.

The rest of the first half was a huge arm wrestle, with Griquas unable to capitalise on their advantage.

The men from the Northern Cape emerged in the second half with renewed focus, performing better in the lineout and becoming far more clinical. Experienced flyhalf George Whitehead extended the lead with a penalty goal early in the second half.

The decisive moment came in the 56th minute when Griquas worked their way into the Cheetahs’ half after a penalty and Maart received a pass from Whitehead. With a lot of work to do, the prolific wing produced a spectacular dive to score his second try in the corner, much to the delight of his teammates and the grateful Kimberley crowd.

Whitehead converted the try and, with the final kick of the game, slotted a long-range penalty goal to seal the 25-5 victory, which has set them up for a trip to Johannesburg next weekend to face the Lions, whom they lost to in the league phase.

Scorers:

Fidelity ADT Lions 67 (41), Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 19 (5)

Lions – Tries: Angelo Davids (4), Henco van Wyk (2), SJ Kotze, Quan Horn, Renzo du Plessis, Penalty try. Conversions: Chris Smith (6). Penalty goals: Smith.

Boland – Tries: Sidney Tobias, Jayden Bantom, Chriswill September. Conversions: James Tedder (2).

Suzuki Griquas 25 (12), Toyota Cheetahs 5 (5)

Griquas – Tries: Albert Liebenberg, Dylan Maart (2). Conversions: George Whitehead (2). Penalty goals: Whitehead (2).

Cheetahs – Try: Prince Nkabinde.