Griffons fly high in last game
The Valke started the better of the two sides, scoring as early as the fourth minute via hooker Devlin Hope
THE Down Touch Griffons ended their Vodacom Cup campaign on a high by beating the Valke 41-17 in both teams’ final game of the competition at Barnard Stadium on April 25.
A brace of tries by flanker Martin Sithole and fullback Wynand Pienaar spearheaded a good performance by the visitors that has not been characteristic of the Griffons’ play throughout the competition.
In the end, the visitors scored six tries and bagged maximum bonus points that will give them much needed momentum for the coming qualifying play-offs for inclusion in the premier league of the Currie Cup.
Despite losing, the Valke started the better of the two sides, scoring as early as the fourth minute via hooker Devlin Hope. It wasn’t long, however, before Pienaar scored his first five pointer of the game, drawing the scores level at five points a piece.
A yellow card to Valke winger Andrew van Wyk in the 30th minute meant that the Valke were left one man short and the Griffons capitalised when Sithole went over for his first try of the afternoon.
Griffons fly half Franna du Toit converted to help the visitors to a half time lead of 12-5.
The Griffons came alight in the second half with Pienaar again coming into the points early on. He scored and converted his own try to start a stanza of play that saw the Welkom-based outfit and the Valke taking turns in scoring tries.
The Griffons stretched their lead via eighth man Nicky Steyn, which Du Toit converted, but it wasn’t long before the hosts hit back via replacement back Ettienne Taljaard, in turn converted by Kyle Hendricks.
Valke flanker Vince Gwavu also scored, with Cecil Dumond converting to help reduce the deficit, but it was the Griffons that had the last say via replacement scrum half Inus Kritzinger and Sithole scoring his second of the game. Du Toit only managed to convert one of them but it helped in giving the Griffons an emphatic last win.
