Griquas in second-half rout

Griquas, coming back from being down 18 points after 30 minutes and 26-23 behind at half-time, scored 37 unanswered points after the break to record a convincing 60-26 win over the Pumas in their Currie Cup Round Two match at ABSA Park in Kimberley on Saturday.

Griquas scored seven tries to four, with four of Griquas tries coming in that second-half rout.

The home team, Griquas, produced a remarkable second-half performance.

The Pumas ran in four tries in a slick display in the first 30 minutes, taking 26-8 lead. But then Griquas struck back hard - first scoring 15 points in the last eight minutes of the first half and then those 37 unanswered points after the break.

It was poor defence that let the Pumas in for their four first-half tries.

Hendrik Meyer and Pieter Benade scored the first two tries - in the 10th and 13th minutes - after missed tackles.

Griquas looked bemused and bereft of answers on how to stop the charge.

Then, in the 27th minute, the first sign of a fightback was there when right wing Lafras Uys put his head down and sped through the complacent Pumas to touch down for Griquas.

But the Pumas struck back to score their fourth try on 30 minutes, through prop Jacques Muller, who barrelled through the defence to score the try that earned the visitors a lead of 18 points.

However, for the next 50 minutes only one team scored - Griquas.

Flank Heinrich Stride scrambled Griquas' second try. Fly-half Conrad Barnard's conversion made it 26-15.

The pivot was on target again with a penalty that narrowed the gap to eight points in the 35th minute, and Griquas emphasised their resurgence when flank Gareth Krause broke through to score with two minutes left in the half.

The second half was four minutes old when a Barnard penalty levelled matters at 26-26, and a minute later Griquas hit the front for the first time in the match when Vuyani Dlomo scored their fourth try.

It was a case of one-way traffic from there as the men in the peacock blue hoops simply ground their opposition into the Kimberley dust.

The Pumas could find no sustainable answer to the home side's forwards who smashed open a path their backs were only too happy to follow.

Stride added a second try and fullback Zane Kirchner darted in for two of his own as the giddy celebrations in the stands gathered steam.

After an unsteady start with the boot, Barnard ended up contributing 25 points.

The scorers:

For Griquas:
Tries: Uys, Stride 2, Krause, Dlomo, Kirchner 2
Cons: Barnard 5
Pens: Barnard 5

For the Pumas:
Tries: Meyer, Benade 2, Muller
Cons: Fourie 3

Teams:

Wildeklawer Griquas: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lafras Uys, 13 Christophe du Toit, 12 Hercules Kruger, 11 MJ Mentz, 10 Conrad Barnard, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Frans Viljoen,  7 Gareth Krause, 6 Heinrich Stride, 5 Lodie Britz, 4 Evan Botha, 3 Hedley Wessels, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Jané du Toit.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Eugene van Staden, 18 Wayne van Heerden, 19 Cilliers Coetzer, 20 Tertius Carse, 21 Brendell Brandt, 22 Vuyani Dlomo.

@lantic Pumas: 15 Casper Steyn, 14 Darryl Coeries, 13 Sam Gerber, 12 Hendrik Meyer, 11 Lourens Dunn, 10 Pieter Benadé, 9 Ashieq Wise, 8 Riaan van der Merwe (captain), 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Danzel Manuel, 5 Jacques Lombaard, Stephan Gerber, 3 Pierre du Toit, 2 Ashton Constant, 1 Jacques Muller.
Replacements: 16 Morné Kruger, 17 Simon-Peter Blakeley, 18 Jonathan van der Schyff, 19 Corné Steenkamp, 20 Arno Coetzee, 21 Sasha Marot, 22 Jeandré Fourie.

Referee: Willie Roos (Golden Lions)
Touch judges: Jerome America (Western Province), Phillip de Bruin (Golden Lions) 
Assessor: James Apollis (Western Province)