Boland Kavaliers scored a nail-biting 24-20 win over the Valke in a hard fought Currie Cup rugby match on Friday afternoon, after trailing 20-19 at halftime.
The victory was Boland’s third of the season, while the East Randers are still without a win.
Boland excelled on defence and managed to keep the Valke away from the tryline on several occasions. The visitors missed a vital scoring opportunity when centre Bertus Swanepoel knocked the ball on in the 50th minute with an open tryline in front of him.
The Valke were first to score when fullback Jacques Schutte struck with a straightforward penalty.
The lead was increased in the seventh minute when scrumhalf Charl McLeod ran through to score under the posts. Schutte added the conversion.
But the Kavaliers hit back in the 13th minute when Jongi Nokwe rounded off a good movement by captain Henley du Plessis and Ismaeel Dollie succeeded with the conversion.
Two minutes later, Boland lock Niekkie Viljoen was yellow carded and when Dollie missed two reasonably easy kicks in the 22nd and 25th minute the home side started to feel the pressure.
However, Du Plessis brought his side right back into the picture when he scored a well-deserved try in the 29th minute to give Boland the lead for the first time in the match.
The Valke took the lead back two minutes later when leftwing Mpho Matsaung scored a try against the run of play for Schutte to convert.
They increased their lead three minutes later when flyhalf Riaan Viljoen landed a drop goal.
But hard-working flanker Dries van Schalkwyk scored for Boland in the 38th minute for
Dollie to convert making the halftime score 20-19.
Du Plessis scored his second try for Boland in the 48th minute to lead the Valke 24-20.
Although both sides tried desperately to score in the dying minutes, the defence held out. – Sapa