WP edge Ellis Park epic
20 Oct 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on a 21-16 victory for Western Province who shifted gears in the final quarter to down the Golden Lions in their Currie Cup semi-final.
WP lost twice to the Lions in the league phase, and appeared to be on their way out of the competition before they showed the mettle that has so often eluded them in knock-out matches. This will be an important step in their youngsters’ education, although a far greater test awaits against the Sharks in Durban next week.
The defending champions will lament poor goal kicking, but outside of a try from broken field, they never posed a serious attacking threat.
Defence dominated the first half, with the visitors faring better in the regard. The Lions didn’t test their now famously efficient system (even when Gerhard van den Heever was yellow carded in the seventh minute), refusing to earn the right to play the expansive game they wanted to.
A little more pragmatism in their play would have benefited them, but with their strike runners in the pack seeing too little of the ball and flyhalf Elton Jantjies tucked too deep in the pocket, they were always going to struggle to break down the WP wall. They compounded their problems with poor goal kicking, Jantjies missing three penalties in the first 40, while Ruan Combrink’s 55m effort came up short.
WP looked the more organsied side, playing well through the phases with their forwards. But they showed too little appreciation for the territory game and little inventiveness in the back division initially, Don Armand coming up with their best chance but being held up over the line in his attempt to score.
Demetri Catrakilis kicked both of his penalty goals, giving his side a 6-3 lead at half-time, but Jantjies levelled with a three pointer just after the restart. Then the Lions grabbed the initiative with a try that was birthed from a turnover in their 22m, Michael Rhodes running a good angle to cut through the line. Jantjies converted and the Lions looked galvanised.
The Joburg union upped the ante at the gainline and in their breakdown contesting, which in turn compromised WP’s ability to control the flow and tempo of their attacking play. There were a couple of flashes of brilliance from the Cape side’s backs, but their potency patently lay in their tight play, particularly their mauling. One such surge drove them into the Lions’ red zone, only to see yet another opportunity slip away through a combination of poor ball protection and a rabid Lions ruck assault.
WP gambled by sending on scrumhalf Louis Schreuder to replace ace goal kicker Catrakilis, no doubt hoping the youngster would inject something special into their attacking play. But the Lions were brutal in their defence and reduced their opponents to rudderless messes. With each minute that ticked by, the inexperienced WP side seemed to become more desperate and consequently more loose. This played into the Lions’ hands, as they were able to pick off their targets with relative ease.
The composure they showed under pressure, aided by the experience they were able to introduce off the bench, was impressive. But they finally succumbed, WP fullback Joe Pietersen rounding off a move in which his forwards depleted the Lions’ defensive line superbly. Crucially he missed the conversion attempt, leaving his side down by two, but he made no mistake from a penalty shortly thereafter.
One point game. Four minutes to play.
Jantjies held his nerve with a 78th-minute penalty, leaving the Lions with a desperate closing period, one they couldn’t negotiate successfully, with WP setting up a rolling maul 20m out from goal and rumbling to glory.
908 Comments
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21 Oct 2012, 17:27 pm
@rangerman-791:
you should feel ashamed of yourselves to walk away from a game in which the ref decided most of the outcomes.
changing the laws of the game on the go.
21 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
first thing i would have done is go on record stating how dissatisfied i am with the refs handling of the game and some of the decisions made if it was my team that won.
first thing.
21 Oct 2012, 18:07 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-794: I’ll just repeat to you what you Bull supporters said to us after that famous final in 2007 – Look at the Scoreboard!
The Bulls and in particular your favorite Morne of the stiff arm were totally outplayed and out thought, your crazy scud missile, chosen for the Boks, gave away more penalties than Brussow the entire S15 that according to HM was why he was not chosen for the RC. The ref was not good,I agree but he was not THAT incompetent and actually he doesn’t even like the Sharks, we have actually won very few games with Lawrence blowing the whistle! – Plumtree said it in his interview “we knew with which game they would come to us and we were not disapointed” its what the AB coaches must also be saying in regards to the Boks!
21 Oct 2012, 18:38 pm
Bakkies
You have a pathological problem with “filthy kiwis” and “cheating refs”.
You must sommer have a mindfuck explosion attack when it’s a “filthy cheating kiwi ref”.
21 Oct 2012, 18:39 pm
@Sharksgirl-796:
Well done with the team. I was spot on. I went Lions as well. You always back the home team and in this case the Sharks are overwhelming favourites to take the final quite easily if I’m reading the comments correctly here.
I’m trying to organise some tickets for the final…
21 Oct 2012, 18:42 pm
@Heavens Game-789:
UCT top university in SA by some distance…
21 Oct 2012, 18:43 pm
@PissAnt-790:
21 Oct 2012, 18:44 pm
@Sharksgirl-796: Is that the same Plum you guys wanted to replaced with Jimmy Stonehouse??
21 Oct 2012, 18:53 pm
@Sharksgirl-796:
look, well done sharkies you were/are the form team this season as evidenced by your super rugby showing and i’m betting that, short of a choke, you should win the cc.
bulls by rights were always going to have to play way above and beyond themselves to win it. this squad is still one or two seasons away from being contenders.
am just very displeased with a lot of the reffing decisions by lawrence, it was shocking to say the least. and that sot of thing often can affect a teams rhythym and attempts to play to the point of sinking them.
good luck in the final.
@Liewe Luiperd-797:
thankfully thre of the worst kiwi refs known to man have ‘been retired’ from rugby.
21 Oct 2012, 18:54 pm
three of the worst
21 Oct 2012, 18:59 pm
Lambie has overtaken Jantjies in the Keo poll.Sharkievarkie supporters have been hard at work i see.By midweek bambie should have Eben in his sights.
21 Oct 2012, 19:02 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-802: Interesting comment Bakkies.So,if the fail to be beat the WP u21 team we can safely put it down to a choke??
21 Oct 2012, 19:08 pm
Don’t these fish have there own website
21 Oct 2012, 19:12 pm
Who gives a toot – sa rugby and s15 is all that matters. Currie cup is a joke half tge players are pulled or rested.
21 Oct 2012, 19:18 pm
@Sharksgirl-796: Very good post Sharksgirl. Spot on. You tell em young lady….
21 Oct 2012, 19:21 pm
@wnbb-805: Get with it. Lambie is the most complete flyhalf in South Africa. Has been since 2010. Only then he had to compete with Matfield and FdP as coaches back then, as they wanted Morne. He is once again, only for him AGAIN to now have those players coach to deal with.
Goosen, Jantjies are superb, but Lambie is our totally complete flyhalf. Time for Meyer to see that.
21 Oct 2012, 19:25 pm
Lambie is so-so, he prob deserves a shout ahead of morne but he’s not got tge promise of goosen – he doesn’t have tge natural lace for a start and that’s always good for a running flyhalf.
21 Oct 2012, 19:31 pm
Lambie doesn’t have pace, jantjies doesn’t have bravery, morne has lost a mind of his own and is now completely unpredictable.
In short – without goosen I don’t think we too hot, and without houggard playing at 9 , there is very little danger for tge oppo at halfback. Put it this way lambie ain’t no carter.
21 Oct 2012, 19:31 pm
@wnbb-807:
personally i dont think its fair or good for the boys involved to start attaching ‘chokers’ to age group rugby. for my part it should remain just that, an opportunity for youngsters to play the game they and to find as much enjoyment from it as they can. for me there’s only winners at age group, no losers.
21 Oct 2012, 19:33 pm
@Dawn-808:
seriously… it would be better for all if they congregated at their supporter website hq
21 Oct 2012, 19:34 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-802: Bakkies buddy, Sharks had Mark as ref against Stormers this year in their first game, he there blew Sharks out of the park. I remember most penalties there were against Bissie and Keegan also against Chadwick. I still doubt that we should have had so many penalties given against us. WE Sharks should have won that game if it was not for Mark Lawerence. Then teams just have to deal with it, try and play the game the ref blows too. Anyhow, same goes for Kaplan against the Bulls in our fisrt game. Even there we were blown out of the park. Our team just put it behind them and go on with it. Us Shark supporters were not that happy either back then. We should have had two wins under our belt if it was not for the bad reffing. (Us supporters thought that way at the time), However, we still reached the final. We have to live with the bad reffing and the good, we get some of those 50/50 calls and then we don’t. That does happen bud. That is rugby. At the time I thought it cost us a spot in the final, then Sharks just nailed it in the end. Ref or no ref we were just too good. So probably the way to go is to give the ref NOTHING to blow your team. That kinda stuff happens bru, not that we supporters like it, but it does.
21 Oct 2012, 19:37 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-814: Wise words, very good post buddy.
21 Oct 2012, 19:42 pm
@cab-809: Cabbie why do you post with tge? I have no bloody idea what you are saying there buddy. If I annoy you with this post I apologise, but heck what does tge mean?
21 Oct 2012, 19:45 pm
Pumes, it’s my phone, tge = the, dunno why you think lambie is so great , I dint think he’s going to be that great – tho maybe hougaat and lambie together might offer something
21 Oct 2012, 19:51 pm
@cab-813: Cabbie,
Sometimes you talk poop bru. Goosen is very good, but he crumbled under pressure as much as Jantjies does. Lambie has it all buddy. BMT means a lot, especially in BIG games. Nothing can teach you that, absolutely nothing, you have it or you don’t. Lambie has bucket loads of it. Out of them all his defence is the very best as well and so is his distribution. And now so is his kicking. I am not only speaking of goal kicking his field kicking is excellent. He totally out played Morne at Morne’s game yesterday. Lambie is as cool as Carter. Something that we need in BIG games boet. lease man, give credit where it is due. The kid is only just turned 22. TJ from Reunion wrote a article about this months back about Lambie. If those kiwis can see it why can’t we? Why do we have to pull a youngster down here in South Africa? Why? He is also the most good mannered young kid, that says nothing and just gets on with it. Jeez bru, give this youngster a damn chance. Just because he is a Shark you want to have a full go at him. The reason us Sharkies are speaking up for him. Much like we done for John Smit.
21 Oct 2012, 19:52 pm
Gdam what an idiot – there are probably a handul of worthy pursuits – if aliens had any fkn brains that pick up the thing and run with it.
Morne was actually ok when he was a 12, but tgen they turned him into a hougaard which was truly 1d.
21 Oct 2012, 19:52 pm
@Puma-822: lease = please
21 Oct 2012, 19:53 pm
@ 730.?Heavens Game, I think you meant “FARKEN” LOL
21 Oct 2012, 19:57 pm
@cab-820: Not Hougaard Cabbie, I will be Lambie and Reinach. Reinach is playing absolutely brilliant at scrummie, totally out played Vermaak and Hougie yesterday. Just watch Sharks half backs next year bru, Lambie with Reinach are going to be something truely special. Both only 22 years of age. They have time on their side and they are going to be awesome next year. Together with Fransie and Jordaan. Jeez Sharks are so damn lucky to have these brilliant youngsters in their team. You have to remember Fransie is only 25 years of age as well. They are all so young. Breseler only 24 too. I think Jandre at 4 lock for Sharks is only 23 and we have PSDT that is only 20 years of age. Sharks have plenty youth in this side, that will grow and grow like some did in the 90′s.
21 Oct 2012, 19:58 pm
@Puma-826: meant – truly
21 Oct 2012, 19:58 pm
Goosen crumbles under pressure? ***** christus you got black &white TNT sticks lodged up your *** and stuffing up your vision Pumes..
I don’t think I seen linebreaks like that by our centres let alone flyhalf – that bugger was amazing
21 Oct 2012, 20:00 pm
WTF is reinach -lemme guess, he plays for sharks u12 span?
21 Oct 2012, 20:01 pm
@ahasaid theclown-821: Skop,
You are so very right ou maat. I totally agree with your post there. How sad is that? Hougaard was a brilliant (see what is in front of you player) to become this total robot kinda player. Damn sad that. He should have gone back to Province where he first came from was the Cape. Or Cheetahs or Sharks. The poor guy is totally brainwashed with the type of rugby he has to play at Bulls and Boks.
21 Oct 2012, 20:02 pm
@wnbb-805: By midweek Lambie will miraculously have 80 Bok test caps,3 IRB Player of the Year awards and a start on Hollywood Blvd. The gang of “Muttons dressed as Lambies” will be swapping Lambie war stories long into the night…..How he singlehandedly took down the AB’s…….How he won a WC by kicking the Boks to victory…..Ja swaer.
The power of the mind
21 Oct 2012, 20:02 pm
@Puma-826:
Wow, the Sharks are so awesome.
21 Oct 2012, 20:04 pm
@Puma-816:
fair enough, i hear you, boet.
@Puma-817:
yip.
meant to say for youngsters to play the game they LOVE and to find as much enjoyment from it as they can.
but you got my gist.
21 Oct 2012, 20:07 pm
@cab-828: Don’t get me wrong, Goosen is a superb player, but after watching him for Boks he never had either the freedom or bmt to do what he does for Cheetahs. I promise you Cab, Lambie is the real deal. He is the total package at flyhalf. Our complete flyhalf. Sure he can’t 60m for goal, but that should not be what is expected of him. Watch and you will see how good he is, THAT is if he is given the time at Bok level. I VERY much doubt Meyer will give him ANY time there. It will be Morne AGAIN this eoyt. I think that is a missed chance to see what we have in this very mature young man. Huge pity. I think only the kiwis can see what we have in him, somehow we miss it????? If he was wearing a silver fern on his chest, I feel it would have been different for him. How we seem to smother that creativity.
21 Oct 2012, 20:08 pm
@Jeraldjay-832:
21 Oct 2012, 20:09 pm
@Jeraldjay-832: So we are……
LOL.
21 Oct 2012, 20:11 pm
@Jeraldjay-832: Wikipedi ‘awesomeness’, and you will find a Sharks team snap
Front of the jersies black and white, back of the jersies green and gold.
All Sharks. All in.
21 Oct 2012, 20:12 pm
@ahasaid theclown-837: You are 100% correct Skop. Agree with you. And that is a bloody shame. He came for the Cape and really wish he went back there. Bulls have and Boks have brainwashed all the creativity out of him. Bloody shame that. Hougie is a natrual (see what is in front of you player) just to be coached out of it. Feel for him. Yesterday it looked like he could not care a damn, I really don’t blame him either.
Anyhow well said Skop. Good post from you there.
21 Oct 2012, 20:13 pm
Listen if we pick all the sharks player we’ll end up back 6th spot like the sharks in the s15 and everyone will be petitioning for the coaches resignation, of hoe?
21 Oct 2012, 20:14 pm
Daniels has been pretty unlucky to be dropped but Springbok first pick, is a v big call.
21 Oct 2012, 20:14 pm
Anyhow, I just think this insane travel schedule my poor WP boys have to deal with, might have a negative effect on their performance in the final.
Sigh.
21 Oct 2012, 20:15 pm
@Puma-838:
Stay humble Puma.
Th!s game w!ll appear br!ght eyed and bushy ta!led for your team one week then k!ck you !n the teeth the next week.
Remember the Sharks were !nv!nc?ble before that game aga!nst the L!ons !n.JHB dur!ng the Super Rugby season then look what happened.
21 Oct 2012, 20:18 pm
It is not the 1st time Skoppie-poo has mentioned aliens visiting earth to watch neanderthals play rugby. It’s not the 1st time Skoppie-bear has informed us rugby is so utterly c r a p.
One wonders why Skoppie-pet spends so much of his life commenting (and vloeking blindly)about such a silly neanderthal game?
Fark off if you dislike it so much p r i c k!
21 Oct 2012, 20:19 pm
Janee where has all the vokmaarvoort gone ? We hot the cheetahs pulling backflips (in 14th), the lions playing it wide (in 15th) – and they want more fkn entertaunment yet, gdam the aliens would sure as nuts think we Dom if the purposes is winnning.
21 Oct 2012, 20:21 pm
@cab-829: No man Cabbie, he is playing Scrumhalf. Just watch come next year or the following he will be the Bok Scrumhalf. I have that much faith in him. Do you ever remember his father? Well he had brilliant speed much like his son. Cobus is superb.
We don’t have very many scrumhalves coming through, but reallyb boet, Reinach is the real deal. Just watch next year’ Super Rugby. He will be Sharks 1st choice scrumhalf. Not bragging because he is a Shark Cabbie, just excited for our Boks that we finllay have a top class scrumhalf coming through. He is the real deal, mark my words.
21 Oct 2012, 20:22 pm
@Puma-847: Crikey ignore the typos up there…
LOL.
21 Oct 2012, 20:23 pm
@cab-813:
Fair enough, Lambie ain’t no carter, but if you take a close look at carters structure, he was never the fastest 10 around, he evolved into a complete 10 with great vision and anticipation, great eye for the *** and tacktical kicking/awarness. Lambie is still going through puberty ffs BUT he showes similar traits!!! If lambie continue to improve his kicking % and continues to grow into the position he could become a superb 10, as with Goosen and Janjies. And between all of them I still feel Lambie currently has the coolest head under pressure and seems so natural when dealing with pressure.
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