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Duane Heath - SuperSport
Potchefstroom - The Leopards are in pole position to retain their Currie Cup Premier Division status after a 37-22 (half-time 23-5) win over the SWD Eagles in a first-leg promotion/relegation match played at Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday.
The Leopards ensured that they will travel to George for the return leg next Friday not only with a healthy 15-point buffer, but also with a bonus point following a crucial try at the death which may yet prove decisive.
The home side led 30-22 with two minutes remaining and had the result sewn up, but they had only scored three tries to their opponents’ four.
With the Eagles hard on attack, a try might not have been enough for the win but what it would almost certainly have done was give the visitors a losing bonus point to go with the bonus point they’d already claimed for scoring four tries.
But instead it was the Leopards who put themselves into the pound seats when replacement Sarel Marais intercepted a weak pass by Eagles centre Sinethemba Zweni to scamper away for a 70-metre run that may turn out to be the most important and memorable 10 seconds of their season.
Marais’ second try gave the Leopards their bonus point and ensured that Leon Boshoff and the rest of his coaching staff will sleep a little easier this week than if they were only defending a slender lead next week.
The home side started well, flyhalf Clayton Durand kicking three early penalties in reply to Eagles flanker Shawn Raubenheimer’s try in the 19th minute from a driving maul.
Marais, whose run at the death would ensure late drama, certainly left his mark on the game, and his try after 25 minutes saw the Leopards click into gear after a tentative start.
Fullback Danie Dames then got in on the action on the half hour, diving over for the first of his two tries for Durand to convert and give the men in green and red a handy 18-point lead at the break.
But the Eagles weren’t about to go quietly into the North West night, and tries from replacement Dougie Hellmuth and flanker Lyndon Hartnick cut the deficit to just six points within 15 minutes of the resumption.
Dames’s second try after 65 minutes however ensured more daylight between the teams, before Danzil Manuel made sure of the Eagles’ bonus point when he barged over a few minutes later.
That score set up a tense final 10 minutes, which saw the Eagles hammering away at the Leopards’ line in the hope of a second bonus point.
But Marais had other ideas, and his anticipation and speed off the mark ensured that the Eagles have everything to do in front of their home fans next week if they are to make the step up to the big leagues.
Scorers:
Leopards:
Tries: Sarel Marais (2), Danie Dames (2)
Conversions: Clayton Durand (4)
Penalties: Durand (3)
Eagles:
Tries: Shawn Raubenheimer, Dougie Hellmuth, Lyndon Hartnick, Danzil Manuel
Conversion: Ambrose Barends
Potchefstroom - The Leopards are in pole position to retain their Currie Cup Premier Division status after a 37-22 (half-time 23-5) win over the SWD Eagles in a first-leg promotion/relegation match played at Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday.
The Leopards ensured that they will travel to George for the return leg next Friday not only with a healthy 15-point buffer, but also with a bonus point following a crucial try at the death which may yet prove decisive.
The home side led 30-22 with two minutes remaining and had the result sewn up, but they had only scored three tries to their opponents’ four.
With the Eagles hard on attack, a try might not have been enough for the win but what it would almost certainly have done was give the visitors a losing bonus point to go with the bonus point they’d already claimed for scoring four tries.
But instead it was the Leopards who put themselves into the pound seats when replacement Sarel Marais intercepted a weak pass by Eagles centre Sinethemba Zweni to scamper away for a 70-metre run that may turn out to be the most important and memorable 10 seconds of their season.
Marais’ second try gave the Leopards their bonus point and ensured that Leon Boshoff and the rest of his coaching staff will sleep a little easier this week than if they were only defending a slender lead next week.
The home side started well, flyhalf Clayton Durand kicking three early penalties in reply to Eagles flanker Shawn Raubenheimer’s try in the 19th minute from a driving maul.
Marais, whose run at the death would ensure late drama, certainly left his mark on the game, and his try after 25 minutes saw the Leopards click into gear after a tentative start.
Fullback Danie Dames then got in on the action on the half hour, diving over for the first of his two tries for Durand to convert and give the men in green and red a handy 18-point lead at the break.
But the Eagles weren’t about to go quietly into the North West night, and tries from replacement Dougie Hellmuth and flanker Lyndon Hartnick cut the deficit to just six points within 15 minutes of the resumption.
Dames’s second try after 65 minutes however ensured more daylight between the teams, before Danzil Manuel made sure of the Eagles’ bonus point when he barged over a few minutes later.
That score set up a tense final 10 minutes, which saw the Eagles hammering away at the Leopards’ line in the hope of a second bonus point.
But Marais had other ideas, and his anticipation and speed off the mark ensured that the Eagles have everything to do in front of their home fans next week if they are to make the step up to the big leagues.
Scorers:
Leopards:
Tries: Sarel Marais (2), Danie Dames (2)
Conversions: Clayton Durand (4)
Penalties: Durand (3)
Eagles:
Tries: Shawn Raubenheimer, Dougie Hellmuth, Lyndon Hartnick, Danzil Manuel
Conversion: Ambrose Barends
