One of five scorers: Jannie Boshoff
Griquas ended their 2012 Currie Cup drought with a well-deserved 42-32 bonus-point victory over the Golden Lions at Coca-Cola Park on Friday.
Five tries were scored by the pre-game bottom side as the visitors, led by the impressive Willie le Roux from full-back stunned the league leaders.
Their scores came through Rocco Jansen, Jannie Boshoff, Ryno Barnes, Le Roux and Jean Stemnet while Francois Brummer kicked seventeen points.
In reply the Golden Lions' men to cross were Ross Cronje, Jaco Kriel and Anthony Volmink, who went over for a quick-fire brace on the hour.
The result still leaves Griquas bottom but they are now level on points with Western Province, who face the Blue Bulls at Newlands on Saturday.
Cronje dotted down in the fifth minute, and Elton Jantjies added a conversion and a penalty, as the hosts took an early 10-3 lead, with only three points from the boot of Brummer putting Griquas on the board in the first ten minutes.
The visitors, however, stormed clear with wingers Jansen and Boshoff scoring tries within seven minutes as they took control, taking a 20-10 advantage midway through the first-half.
Jantjies and Brummer traded blows as both fly-halves kept the scoreboard ticking over with successful attempts at the posts, before flanker Kriel went over for the Lions with seven minutes left in the opening period.
Two minutes later Griquas hooker Barnes stretched the gap again, forcing his way over the whitewash, as the visitors took a 28-18 half-time lead.
Having faded in the second 40 minutes in their previous matches this season, Griquas showed their intention shortly after the break.
Le Roux skipped through the defence, dotting down for their bonus-point try in the 44th minute, with Brummer converting as they seemingly stamped their authority on the match.
They managed to hold off a charging Lions side for most of the second stanza but the hosts eventually broke through with a quickfire brace in the dying stages.
Lions winger Volmink found space on the left to dot down twice in just two minutes, and with full-back Andries Coetzee and centre Butch James converting both tries, the home side closed the gap to 35-32 with ten minutes left.
Griquas managed to hold their nerve, though, and produced a superb team effort from their own lline, working through 13 phases before Stemmet burst over for their fifth five-pointer shortly before the hooter sounded. Brummer added his fourth successful conversion.
The scorers:
For Golden Lions:
Tries: Cronje, Kriel, Volmink 2
Con: Jantjies, Coetzee, James
Pen: Jantjies 2
For Griquas:
Tries: Jansen, Boshoff, Barnes, Le Roux, Stemnet
Con: Brummer 4
Pen: Brummer 3
Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Willie Britz, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Joshua Strauss, 3 CJ Van der Linde, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (capt).
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Michael Rhodes, 19 Cobus Grobbelaar, 20 Michael Bondesio, 21 Alwyn Hollenbach, 22 Deon Helberg.
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Jean Stemmet, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Wesley Wilkins, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Rynhardt Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes (captain), 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Dobson, 17 Ivann Espag, 18 Frikkie Spies, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Matthew Rosslee.
Referee: Craig Joubert
Comments
Ruggernaut says...
Jannie Boshoff and Manus Schoeman definately are ones to watch! I was very, very impressed with how Willie le Roux got the backline going - this playing from fullback position! Surely he is a strong candidate for flyhalf?
Posted 20:01 31st August 2012