Currie Cup
Kings thump Griffons
2012-09-15 07:56
Port Elizabeth - The Eastern Province Kings thrilled their home crowd as they overwhelmed
the Griffons 60-19 in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at the
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
According to the supersport.com website, the tightly-knit Kings pack and their suffocating defence shut the
Griffons out of the match from early on in a top-class performance by
Eastern Province.
The win was set up up front by a dominant pack, who ruled the scrums
with a fist of iron, and a now familiar rolling maul that saw loose
forward Luke Watson cross for a hat-trick of tries.
But the Kings also boasted a slick, clinical backline, with Samoan Paul Perez a juggernaut on the wing.
Perez was the man who set the ball rolling for the Kings with a
marvellous try, running 50 metres and bumping off half-a-dozen tacklers
on his way to the tryline. Unsurprisingly, he was the go-to man whenever
the Kings wanted momentum out wide.
The Kings backline was also efficient in capitalising on their
front-foot ball and fullback SP Marais and centre Tiger Mangweni also
scored before the first half was ended with Watson's first try, giving
Eastern Province a 29-0 lead at the break.
Although the match was totally one-sided, the Griffons did fight back in
the second half with tries by centres Japie Nel and Werner Griesel. But
they were missing the sheer physicality and precision of the Kings and
were clearly going to finish the day as also-rans, despite being third
on the log at the start of the game.
Flyhalf George Whitehead, loose forward Cornell du Preez (fittingly as
he was the outstanding player of the night), replacement centre Siyanda
Grey and Watson, twice, all crossed the tryline for the Kings in the
second half as they cantered to victory in far more impressive fashion
than even they probably presumed.
Scorers:
Eastern Province Kings - Tries: Paul Perez, SP Marais, Tiger Mangweni, Luke Watson (3), George Whitehead, Cornell du Preez, Siyanda Grey. Conversions: Whitehead (6). Penalty: Whitehead.
Griffons - Tries: Japie Nel, Werner Griesel, Nicky Steyn. Conversions: Hansie Graaff (2).