Boland captain Conrad Burke scored a last-minute intercept try to secure a 48-42 Currie Cup victory over the Valke at Bosman Stadium in Brakpan on Friday night.
It was a case of déjà vu when Burke intercepted a loose pass from a Valke player close to the halfway line. A year ago, tighthead prop Andries Human had scored a similar try to set up a Boland victory at the same venue. Burke sprinted 40m for the winning try.
The Valke can only have themselves to blame after leading 36-17 at the break with some scintillating running rugby. But they committed rugby suicide in the second half as they tried to run every ball — even from their own try line — to their own demise.
Veteran Boland winger John Daniels has lost much of his pace but the South African try record-holder scored another hat-trick on a night that produced 11 tries.
Boland led 10-3 after Daniels set up a try by Justin Peach early in the match.
Peach finished the game with 23 points to his tally. He converted all six tries — some with precision kicking from the sideline — and kicked two penalties.
The Valke played some sublime rugby in the first half and looked certain to score their first Currie Cup victory in two seasons after the first 40 minutes. With flyhalf True Blue Smit running the show with his precision passing, the Valke easily ran in five tries and looked like certain winners.
Left winger Luvo Sogidashe, outside centre Rowan Cloete, scrumhalf Gerrie Odendaal and veteran number eight Sean Plaatjies all shared in the try fest.
With a 19-point lead, it is still hard to understand how they squandered this game. — Sapa