The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers suffered a disappointing 33–24 defeat to the Dotsure SWD Eagles at Outeniqua Park in George on Saturday, in what was a tightly contested SA Cup round-four clash that ultimately slipped away in the final quarter.
The defeat means the Kavaliers drop to third spot on the log but could very well end the weekend in fourth place with the Airlink Pumas playing the Valke on Sunday, 29 March.
The much-improved Eagles, now coached by former Bok mentor Heyneke Meyer, move one spot up to second place behind the Suzuki Griquas, who have a full house of 20 points.
At halftime, the sides were locked at 7-7 after the Kavaliers struck first through in-form left wing Xavier Mitchell, who scored his first of two tries in the match.
Boland looked to have taken a firm grip on the contest early in the second half. Captain Thurlow Marsh powered over to give the visitors momentum before the prolific Mitchell added his second and ninth of the SA Cup season to stretch the lead to 21–7 heading into the final quarter.
The Eagles began to assert themselves at scrum time and through their maul, earning penalties that allowed them to play in Boland’s area of the field and put them under pressure.
DESERVED VICTORY
Those entries into the Boland 22 were telling for the home side. SWD capitalised clinically, scoring three tries from pressure built through set-piece dominance, with loose forward Ulrich Stander leading the charge with a hat-trick.
Their ability to play to their strengths ultimately turned the tide as they overturned a 14-point deficit to claim a deserved victory.
A disappointed Sanlam Boland Kavaliers head coach, Hawies Fourie, pointed to discipline as a key factor. The Kavaliers conceded a high number of penalties, which led to the Kavaliers conceding three yellow cards.
This disrupted the visitors’ momentum and forced them to play with reduced numbers for large periods.
“It was a disappointing loss for us,” Fourie lamented. “We always knew it would be a closely contested game and a tough one to win away from home. SWD have improved significantly since last year, and we respected that going into the match.
“I felt we were penalised too often to really stamp our authority on the game. We gave them too many easy entries into our 22, and they capitalised, scoring three (maul) tries from those opportunities.
“In the bigger picture, SWD used their strengths better than we did. The number of penalties we conceded played a major role in the outcome. That is something we need to look at closely, because it makes it far too easy for opposition teams to get into our 22 and apply pressure.
Fourie concluded: “Discipline remains a concern. We conceded three yellow cards, which disrupted our momentum. Those are unnecessary moments that we need to eliminate from our game."
There is a break in the competition over the Easter weekend, allowing the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers to regroup and reset before a crucial clash against the unbeaten Suzuki Griquas in Wellington on Saturday, 11 April.
With the top four teams qualifying for the Currie Cup Premier Division, every point from here on carries added significance.
Scorers:
SWD Eagles: 33 (7) Tries: Dylan De Leeuw, Ulrich Stander (3), Tiaan Fourie; Cons: Fred Zeilinga (4)
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers: 24 (7): Xavier Mitchell (2), Thurlow Marsh; Cons: Juan Mostert (3), Pen: Mostert
TEAMS:
DOTSURE SWD EAGLES: 15 Abner van Reenen, 14 Tiaan Pretorius, 13 Niël Beukes, 12 Carlton Banies, 11 Nico Leonard, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Tiaan Fourie, 8 Gideon van Wyk, 7 Carel du Preez (c), 6 Ulrich Stander, 5 Dylan de Leeuw, 4 Matthew Gray, 3 Günther Janse van Vuuren, 2 Janus Venter, 1 Nathan Meilhon
REPLACEMENTS: 16 Allister Williams, 17 Ntokozo Hlophe, 18 Christo Swanepoel, 19 Ewan Coetzee, 20 Matthew Sekele, 21 Xavier Swartbooi, 22 Keanu Vers, 23 Kyle Cyster
SANLAM BOLAND KAVALIERS: 15 Domenic Smit, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Lunathi Nxele, 12 Chris Smit, 11 Xavier Mitchell, 10 Juan Mostert, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Thurlow Marsh (capt), 7 Kwanda Dimaza, 6 Sauliegh Arendse, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Jeandre Leonard, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Joshua Eras, 1 Dewald Maritz
REPLACEMENTS: 16 Sidney Tobias, 17 Mthokozisi Gumede, 18 Andrew Beerwinkel, 19 Michael Benadie, 20 Michael Mutombo, 21 Chriswill September, 22 Erik Lambrecht, 23 Thurlon Williams