MONDAY, 11.05AM:
BOLAND’S hopes of playing in the semi-finals of the Bankfin Currie Cup, came to an end on Sunday when they lost 38-22 to Free State after trailing 9-10 at halftime in a Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein.Free State will now play against the Western Province in the semi-finals.
Boland opened their account in the fifth minute when flanker Jannie Coetzee went over. Pieter O’Neill failed with the conversion. Nine minutes later flanker Harold Karele crossed for a try, also leaving O’Neill with a difficult kick, which failed to go over.
Jannie de Beer goaled a 40-metre penalty in the 19th after hitting the upright with two previous attempts. He then added two further penalties to leave Free State trailing 9-10 at the break.
McNeill Hendricks, who replaced injured scrumhalf Polla Roux, went over for an unconverted try give Boland a 15-9 lead with only 20 minutes to go. Free State gained their second wind when lock Ryno Opperman scored a try, which was converted by De Beer. The latter put Free State into the lead for the first time with a well-taken penalty (17-15).
Jan-Harm van Wyk scored a try when he outpaced a flagging defence then tries by Brendan Venter and De Beer gave the home side a bonus point and five log points.
FREE STATE: De Beer scored four penalties, a try, three conversions, Van Wyk, Opperman and Venter try each.
BOLAND: Tries by Coetzee, Karele, Hendricks and Wolfaardt. O’Neill scored a conversion.
Eastern Province ran in seven tries to beat the Gauteng Falcons 45-17 in a Bankfin Currie Cup match at Telkom Park on Saturday after leading 17-5 at half-time.
Determined to move from the bottom of the Bankfin log, the Elephants also notched up an additional bonus point in one of their better performances this season.
EASTERN PROVINCE: Tries by Jonathan Staples,Riaan van Jaarsveld (3), Henry Pedro (2), and Jacques Greeff. Conversions: Chris Beukes (5).
GAUTENG FALCONS: Tries by FA Meiring, Ockert Booyse and Len van Riet. Conversion: Jaco Viljoen.
Meanwhile, The Guateng Lions are set to face Natal in the semi-finals of the Bankfin Currie Cup match and Western Province against Free State.
SPORT BRIEFS
ASA CLEAR ATHLETES ATHLETICS South Africa on Thursday cleared two athletes — long jumper Liza de Viliers and 100m hurdler Shaun Bownes. The two were banned in 1995 for testing positive for steriods.
SA WOMEN HIT BULLSEYE SOUTH Africa beat Wales in the women’s quaterfinals of the darts World Cup meeting in Perth on Thursday. They will now face Philippines in the semi-finals.
GYMNASTICS CHAMPS OFF THE 1997 African Gymnastics Championships scheduled for Algiers in Algeria in November have been cancelled because not enough countries entered, said the South African Gyminastics Federation president, Hugo Olivier on Thursday.
WOMEN’S CRICKET SQUAD SOUTH Africa’s women’s cricket selectors have included two uncaped players for the World Cup finals in India in December. The newcomers are all-rounder Belinda Dermota of Western Province and bowler Karin Swart of Northerns. Out of the team that toured Ireland and England last month are Leslie Korkie (unavailable), Debbie Hughes (injured) and Lynn Sing.
THE TEAM IS:Kim Price (WP, capt), Linda Olivier (Tvl, vice-capt), Alicia Bezuidenhout (North West), Anina Burger (Northerns), Helen Davies (WP), Belinda Dermota (WP), Cindy Eksteen (Free State), Alta Kotze (Tvl), Aluis Kuylaars (WP), Kerri Laing (Tvl), Denise Reid (WP), Rista Stoop (KwaZulu-Natal), Karin Swart (Northerns), Daleen Terblanche (Tvl). Manageress: Shan Cade. Coach: Conrad Hunte. Physiotherapist: Marie van der Merwe.
AMANDA HONOURED SOUTH AFRICA’S Amanda Coetzer said she is honoured to be invited to compete in the Nelson Mandela Tribute tennis tournament from December 12 to 14 in Cape Town. “Gary asked me at the US Open if I would play [in the Nelson Mandela Tribute tennis tounament] and I told him I would consider it an honour to be part of the tribute to President Mandela,” she said.