SAA Club Champs semi-finalists confirmed

Defending champions NWU-Pukke will play Springs and 2008 finalists College Rovers will face Hamilton in the semi-finals of the SAA Club Championships at the LC de Villiers stadium on the University of Pretoria sport campus on Thursday.

Pukke won through to the last four with a hard-fought 44-34 (halftime 20-22) win over determined Boland champions Rawsonville, while Valke champions Springs overwhelmed Border’s Buffalo 51-19 (halftime 30-0).

Earlier in the day, KZN champions College Rovers beat Eastern Province champions Park 52-22 (halftime 26-8) to set up a mouth-watering first semi-final against Hamilton, after the WP team scored 25 unanswered points in coming from behind to beat Golden Lions champions Pirates 39-27 (halftime 9-20) in the first match of the day.

Both semi-finals will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with the Rovers-Hamilton match kicking off at 16h00 and the Puk-Springs game at 18h00.

In the main match of the afternoon, Pukke showed their intentions early on when they opened the scoring with a driving maul try by lock Johan de Kock in the 10th minute, converted by fullback Theuns Kotze.

Far from being intimidated by their more illustrious opponents, Rawsonville responded with an excellent try by left wing Timmy Francisco, converted by flyhalf Eric Groenewald, before Kotze regained the lead for the students with a penalty in the 20th minute.

Groenewald however levelled the scores at 10-10 after 26 minutes with his first penalty before the match was turned on its head when replacement Nazeem van Sitters intercepted to score under the posts for Groenewald to convert.

Pukke cut the deficit after half an hour when eighthman Willem van de Wal, the man of the match, put Kotzé away for a try in the left-hand corner to make it 17-15.

Van der Wal was then on hand to help his side regain the lead when he dotted down on the stroke of halftime, but Van Sitters scored his second to put Rawsonville back in front, much to the delight of the crowd.

The second half started off in frenetic fashion with Pukke upping the pace of the game and recycling through a number of phases. They were rewarded when Kotze cut through unopposed for his second try, which he converted, to make it 27-22.

Scrumhalf Janus Terblanche then provided what seemed to be the killer blow when he dived over three minutes later after more excellent continuity by the Potchefstroom students.

But Francisco scored another wonderful try on the hour mark to cut the deficit to five points before scrumhalf Ricardo Jones’s conversion made it a three-point game.

Francisco very nearly scored his hat-trick two minutes later – a score which might have changed the course of the match -- but he knocked on a metre from the line after he once again showed his great pace to hunt down a hack-ahead.

Play became increasingly scrappy as the clock wound down, but Pukke won a crucial penalty that enabled them to kick for the corner to set up a lineout drive.

Rawsonville prop Syrel Buurman was sinbinned by referee Jason Jaftha for going offside at the resultant driving maul, which allowed Pukke lock Thabo Molete to dive over and seal the win.

Flyhalf Cecil Dumond added the extra points before scoring his team’s seventh try on the stroke of fulltime.

But there was just enough time left for Rawsonville to have the last say, centre Whaliet Heyns rounding off a good movement to score the Bolanders’ fifth try in the fading light.

OTHER PREMIER QUARTER-FINALS:

College Rovers 52 – Tries: Matt de Beer (2), Wesley Bodmer (2), Dauw Steyn, Kobus du Rand, Rick Shannin. Chris Jordaan. Conversions: Steyn (6).
Park 22 – Try: Pierre Steyn, Jacobus van der Westhuizen, Hendrik Niemand. Conversions: Hugo Swanepoel (2). Penalty: Swanepoel.

Springs 51–19 Buffalo
Hamilton 39-27 Pirates 27

PLATE QUARTER-FINALS:

Kuruman will play Shimlas and Great Brak River will meet Pretoria Police in Thursday’s Plate semi-finals.

Kuruman advanced thanks to a 23-19 (halftime 14-7) win over Mpumalanga champions Middelburg while Shimlas beat Impala 32-21 (halftime 14-7). The two sides will meet in the first semi-final, kicking off at 13h00.

Great Brak beat Limpopo invitees Noordelikes 31-29 (halftime 9-24) while Pretoria Police beat Welkom Rovers 54-35 (halftime 33-21). The second semi-final starts at 14h30.

Shimlas 32–21 Impala
Great Brak River 31-29 Noordelikes
Pretoria Police 54-35 Welkom Rovers

Issued by SA Rugby