Valke show character to beat Griffons

The Valke outlasted the Down Touch Griffons to win 41-31 (halftime 31-7) in their SuperSport Rugby Challenge North Section match at the Bosman Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon.

The Valke showed their intent early on as wing Rodney Damons and flank Jan Venter crossed the chalk within the first ten minutes of the first half as the visitors struggled to contain their opposition. Scrumhalf Andre du Plessis could not find his target with both attempts.

The men from Welkom found themselves a man down in the 13th minute as no.8 Jean Pretorius was shown a yellow card but this did not put a damper on their ability to run the ball as wing Ezrick Alexander was on hand to score moments later. Scrumhalf Jaywinn Juries added the extras.

An example of superb interplay by the Valke gave Damons, who ran an excellent line, the space he need to score his second try while fullback Andries Truter received a scissors pass to follow up Damons' effort minutes later. Du Plessis found his golden boot as he converted both attempts.

The Griffons were dealt a huge blow in the 26th minute as Pretorius was found guilty of kicking a player which overturned a certain try while his second yellow saw the no.8 being red carded.

A break in play while the injured Griffons' Juries was stretchered off the field allowed the men from the East Rand to catch their breath and they to regathered in emphatic fashion as they scored shortly after the match resumed with Truter dotting down in the right hand corner which Du Plessis converted with ease.

The Valke continued to apply pressure especially in the set pieces but could not add to their score as they headed to the sheds with a comfortable 31-7 lead at the break.

The men in purple turned misfortune into a try after outside centre Neil Stannard came close to scoring but knocked on and injured himself in the process. The Valke knocked on close to their try line from the resulting scrum and flyhalf Duan Pretorius showed great presence of mind to gather and power over for a try that he converted.

The Griffons never gave up despite their numerical disadvantage as they attacked with purpose and they were eventually rewarded when a solid run upfield yielded dividends with Alexander diving over the whitewash to score an unconverted try.

The match dissolved into a comedy of errors but Du Plessis ensured that his opposition would need to score twice as he landed a goal in the 55th minute to stretch the lead to 34-19.

The home team's experienced bench showed their mettle as a great break was capitalised on with replacement loose forward Siphiwe Sithole on hand to gather the offload and score his first try of the afternoon with Du Plessis knocking over his conversion attempt.

A fortuitous moment in the match came in the 64th minute as replacement utility back Duncan van Vuuren used his space on the left wing to score in the corner but his efforts proved to be a yard too far as Pretorius kicked his attempt wide.

The Griffons could easily be described as a thorn in the Valke's side as a hashed collection of a field kick was scooped up by visitors which was finished by Alexander who dotted down for hat-trick.

Alexander opted to drop kick the conversion to keep his charges in the running but it was not enough as the final whistle was blown soon after with the Valke winning 41-31.

SCORERS

Valke - Tries: Rodney Damons (2), Jan Venter, Andries Truter (2), Siphiwe Sithole; Conversions: Andre du Plessis (4); Penalty: Du Plessis.

Down Touch Griffons - Tries: Ezrick Alexander (3), Duan Pretorius, Duncan van Vuuren; Conversions: Jaywinn Juries, Pretorius, Alexander.