Daisies in full bloom

The Bulls Daisies made it six in a row in the Women’s Premier Division with a ruthless display of skill at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday by beating their Gauteng opponents, the Mastercard Golden Lions Women, by 72-7, while DHL Western Province scored an important win on the road against the EP Queens in Nelson Mandela Bay in round seven of the competition.

The Pretoria side still top the standings with maximum points (30), while DHL WP (20) moved closer to the second-placed Border Ladies (23) with their 19-10 win over the Queens, and are now comfortable in third place.

The Cell C Sharks Women (9), whose match against the Boland Dames was postponed due to logistical reasons, are still fourth on the log, while Border had a bye.

The Daisies were rampant at Loftus in a clinical display against their southern neighbours. They scored almost at will, leading 44-0 at the break, and maintained that intensity in the second half. Springbok wings Simamkele Namba and Jakkie Cilliers were the big beneficiaries of the ample space created on the outside and scored four and three tries respectively. 

The match between EP and DHL WP was a hard-fought affair, with both sides creating good opportunities, but neither coaches, Lex de Vos nor Stanley Raubenheimer, will be happy with their execution. The visitors from Cape Town scored first through the impressive Shaunique Hess, who is back from injury, but a strong burst by Saneliswe Charlie closed the gap at the break.

Hess and Chumisa Qawe’s reunion in the midfield created immediate spark in the DHL WP backline and again right wing Asiphe Mayaba benefitted from the space created by her inside backs, bagging two crucial second half tries to ease her team towards a much-needed win.

The third match of the weekend was due to be played in Durban, but the Boland Dames requested a postponement after the heavy rains in the are made it impossible for a number of their players to travel from their homes to the airport. Both teams are in discussions to reschedule the encounter, to the first week of August.

Scorers:

Bulls Daisies 72 (44), Mastercard Golden Lions Women 7 (0)

Bulls Daisies – Tries: Sithandile Ntoyanto, Simamkele Namba (4), Shiniqwa Lamprecht (2), Jakkie Cilliers (3), Faith Tshauke. Conversions: Byrhandrѐ Dolf (2), Libbie Janse van Rensburg (5). Penalty goal: Janse van Rensburg.

Mastercard Golden Lions Women – Try: Xoliswa Khuzwayo. Conversion: Piwo Nyanda.

EP Queens 10 (5), DHL Western Province 19 (7)

EP Queens – Tries: Saneliswe Charlie, Zaza Nojoko.

DHL WP – Tries: Shaunique Hess, Asiphe Mayaba (2). Conversions: Selladean Pietersen, Chuma Qawe.

Women’s First Division:

The Free State Women and SWD Eagirls continued their perfect start to the tournament by outplaying Griquas Women and Leopards Women respectively, with their second consecutive victories pushing them to the top of the standings. The Bloemfontein side outplayed their Kimberley neighbours, while SWD were too sharp for their Potch rivals.

Limpopo Blue Bulls Women and Pumas Women scored first wins this season by beating Valke Women and Griffons Women respectively, leaving them as the only two teams yet to win a match.

In Kimberley, Bernice Strydom was again unstoppable in the midfield for Free State, scoring four tries (to add to her six from last weekend in Welkom) in their 87-12 win, and just to underline her versatility, the internationally capped lock also kicked five conversions for a match tally of 30 points. The visitors from Bloemfontein had too much to offer from the start and held a 40-0 lead at the break.

The SWD Eagirls proved too fit and slick for their Leopards counterparts in Potchefstroom, scoring 27 second half points in their 46-12 victory. The game was still tight at the break, with the visitors leading by 19-7, but in the second 40 minutes, it was all Eagirls. Right wing, Shannon Lee Windvogel, was again in good form, scoring three tries after bagging four last weekend.

In Kempton Park, the Limpopo Blue Bulls Women had a strong start to their match against Valke Women and looked in control at the break with a 25-12 lead. The home side came back strongly in the second half though, but ran out of time, coming up three points short at the final whistle (32-29).

In Middelburg, the Pumas Women showed their mettle with a home win over the Griffons Women. The Mpumalanga side took control early, and their dominance was never challenged by their Welkom visitors. 

They were up 21-7 at the break and secured the bonus point early in the second half to romp away for a 40-17 win. Credit to the Griffons though, who never stopped trying in the 80 minutes.

Scorers:

Free State Women 87 (40), Griquas Women 12 (0)

Free State Women – Tries: Welmarie Fouche (3), Kamohelo Makoele, Bernice Strydom (4), Elizna Greeff, Sne Mdletshe (3), Elizna Fortuin. Conversions: Bernice Strydom (5), Angelique Strydom, Shandre Fouche (5).

Griquas Women – Tries: Nelly Skosana (2). Conversion: Vee Mosala.

Leopards 12 (7), SWD Eagirls 46 (19)

Leopards – Tries: Vianca Boer, Abigail de Jager. Conversion: Lonika Maartens.

SWD Eagirls – Tries: Lebeth October (2), Amanda Klassen (2), Shannon Lee Windvogel (3), Bianca Figeland. Conversions: Antoneica Hannies (3).

Valke Women 29 (12), Limpopo Blue Bulls Women 32 (25)

Valke Women – Tries: Carlene Painter, Sima Kaulela (2), Tanya Shava (2). Conversions: Sibonelo Letsela (2).

Limpopo Blue Bulls Women – Tries: Mahlatse Lekola, Prosperity Dlamini, Katlego Mokaba, Maruping Modupi, Jibrine Dube (2). Conversions: Itumaleng Mkhari.

Pumas Women 40 (21), Griffons Women 17 (7)

Pumas Women – Tries: Thandeka Thwala, Sethabile Xulu, Thandi Sambo, Mandisa Skosana, Neliswe Mshweni, Sasa Mkhabela. Conversions: Zanele Mthembu, Silindile Nyembe (4).

Griffons Women – Tries: Tshepiso Matelile, Bianca Schutte, Chuma Zetu. Conversion: Line Viviers.