Green too good for Gold in Springbok Showdown

David Skippers
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The Green Team proved too strong for the Gold Team with a 25-9 victory in the Springbok Showdown at Newlands on Saturday.

Siya Kolisi, Juarno Augustus and a penalty try did the job for the men in green, while the Gold side failed to score a try with all their points scored via penalties from Curwin Bosch (2) and Damian Willemse.

Fly-half Willemse had an opportunity to give the Gold side the lead early on off the kicking tee when prop Steven Kitshoff did superbly to win a turnover at the breakdown, but the Stormers utility back’s kick missed to the right.

Despite coming out second best in terms of possession and territory, the Green Team took the lead with a quarter of an hour gone when Elton Jantjies put the ball between the posts after prop Ox Nche had won the scrum penalty.

The pendulum of the game’s momentum swung in favour of the Green side as they started to gain the ascendancy and Jantjies doubled the lead with another penalty after the Gold Team’s midfield were caught offside.

It was a game of tactical kicking and it was the Green team who were also coming out on top in that regard with scrum-half Sanele Nohamba and Jantjies’ up-and-unders causing problems for the outside backs of the Gold team.

The Green Team had begun the game in control of the scrums but the Gold Team came back strongly in that department towards the end of the half with Kitshoff getting the upper hand over Luan de Bruin.

However, Willemse missed two very kickable penalties in the final five minutes of the opening half to take his tally to just one successful penalty attempt from four.

Willemse the villain

Willemse’s evening turned from bad to worse when he was yellow-carded five minutes after the interval and gave away a penalty try. Nohamba kicked through with Yaw Penxe leading the race and looking set to dot down only to be cynically pulled back by the desperate Willemse, with referee Jaco Peyper awarding seven points to the Green team for a 13-3 lead.

Gold Team replacement fly-half Bosch cut the deficit to seven with a penalty goal shortly afterwards after Carlu Sadie won the scrum penalty.

However, the Green Team wrested back control of the game, adding their second try in the 56th minute when captain Kolisi spun his way over in the left-hand corner after a powerful driving maul from the Green pack for an 18-6 lead.

Bosch narrowed the gap to 10 with another penalty but replacement number eight Augustus profited from a brilliant up-and-under to grab the Green Team’s third try with Kade Wolhuter adding the conversion for a 25-9 victory in the end.

The scorers:

For Green Team:
Tries: Penalty Try, Kolisi, Augustus
Con: Wolhuter
Pens: Jantjies 2

For Gold Team:
Pens: Willemse, Bosch 2
Yellow Card: Willemse

Green Team: 15 Gianni Lombard, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Malcolm Jaer, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Schalk Erasmus, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 JJ van der Mescht, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Junior Pokomela, 22 Embrose Papier, 23 Manie Libbok, 24 Jeremy Ward, 25 Kade Wolhuter

Gold Team: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Rosko Specman, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 James Venter, 21 Vincent Tshituka, 22 Ivan van Zyl, 23 Curwin Bosch, 24 Werner Kok, 25 Manual Rass

Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO: Joey Klaaste-Salmans

 

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