A converted try in stoppage time helped Griquas snatch a stunning 30-28 Currie Cup win over Western Province in Cape Town on Wednesday.
This match wasn’t a good advert for rugby due to plenty of errors and poor skills execution by both sides, but lock Cameron Lindsay barged over from the back of a maul to score the equalising try and George Whitehead succeeded with the subsequent conversion to win the game for his team.
Gameflow: WP were never in full control and up until the 39th minute of this contest, they trailed 17-15.
Sergeal Petersen provided the spark Province needed in the dying stages of the first half. The wing ran a great line to breach the Griquas defence and score as they went to the shed with a 22-17 lead. From that point on, they were always ahead until Griquas’ stunning fightback in the dying stages left them reeling.
The WP scrum was impressive early in the match, but then tighthead prop Sazi Sandi was forced off due to an injury and soon after the introduction of Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, the latter was sent off for a cynical foul. This meant the game went to uncontested scrummaging before and after the break.
Be that as it may, the synergy of the WP forwards allowed them to stay in the ascendancy with No 8 Evan Roos, in particular, having a strong game at the set piece and in general play.
Province thought they had the bonus point wrapped up just before the hour mark but, first, Edwill van der Merwe’s effort was ruled out because of a knock-on in the buildup and then Roos’ barnstorming run to the tryline was halted just short, the ball dislodged and propelled forward from his grasp.
With the clock winding down and just five points separating them, Swiel slotted a penalty to make it an eight-point game. But just as it seemed Griquas had lost interest, they won a penalty which Whitehead turned into a three-pointer to set up a nervy finish for the hosts.
And Griquas had almost completed the dream come-from-behind win when Ederies Arendse waltzed through the WP defence to score, but his try was disallowed because the final pass from Whitehead was forward.
But there would be no denying the visitors in the end, as two consecutive penalties got them close to the tryline and from the resultant lineout, Lindsay burrowed over to sink WP.
