The Leopards, Eagles and Pumas got their Currie Cup First Division campaigns off to a flyer, out-classing the opposition for convincing away victories.
The Leopards ran in six tries against Boland for their 45-15 victory in Wellington, with SWD also securing a bonus point 36-12 win against Border in East London.
The Pumas on the other hand fought their way to a 29-13 victory against a spirited EP side featuring the union’s back-up players due to their Super Rugby match against the Bulls.
In the other match the Valke and Griffons played to a 30-30 draw in Kempton Park.
At the Boland stadium flyhalf Eric Zana handed the home team a 3-0 lead thanks to a penalty in the fourth minute, but that was the first and last time the team held the lead as the Leopards took control of proceedings shortly after. A converted try and penalty by the visitors boosted their confidence, but the defining moment in the match was Boland lock Ben Venter receiving a red card in the 19th minute for punching. This placed the team on the back-foot, which the visitors took full advantage of to cruise to victory.
In East London, SWD were dominant from the outset against Border as they used their pace and skill to play their way on to the front foot. This paid off with two-first half tries and three in the second.
The Pumas, meanwhile, were made to work hard for their victory against EP in a penalty-ridden clash. But with Pumas flyhalf Carl Bezuidenhout’s boot on song, they came out tops. Only three tries were scored in the match – two by the Pumas and one by the Kings – but Bezuidenhout’s tally of 19 points with the boot was sufficient to push the match beyond the Kings reach.
In Kempton Park the Valke came out firing and scored two converted tries in the first eight minutes for a 14-0 lead. But the Griffons bounced back with intent for two tries of their own. A penalty a side to add to this left the scores level on 17-17 at the break. The second half was equally tense with the teams exchanging more penalties and a try each, but it was a last-minute penalty by Griffons flyhalf Louis Strydom that sealed the draw.
Currie Cup First Division round 1 results:
Boland 15 – 45 Leopards
EP 13 – 29 Pumas
Border 12 – 36 SWD
Valke 30 – 30 Griffons
