Celebration of rugby as Pumas and Nelspruit Rugby Club decimate opposition
Nelspruit Rugby Club celebrated its 100th anniversary on Saturday April 27 with a great day of rugby that featured a massive win for the club, as well as a big win for the Pumas against the Leopards in the SA Cup.
The Airlink Pumas and Nelspruit Rugby Club both secured massive victories during a special day of rugby on Saturday April 27, celebrating the club’s 100th anniversary in the process.
The occasion was no regular day or weekend of rugby. Nelspruit Rugby Club celebrated its 100th anniversary by welcoming Noordelikes Rugby Club from Pretoria while also hosting an SA Cup match between the Airlink Pumas and the Leopards. It also marked the continuation of a Pumas tradition, in which they play at least one match a season at Nelspruit Rugby Club.
Nelspruit and Noordelikes’ clash acted as the curtain-raiser for the main match between the Pumas and the Leopards, but by no means was it a simple and slow encounter. The Nelspruit boys were determined to give the home supporters plenty to cheer about, running riot against their opponents from the Highveld.
Four first-half tries gave the hosts a 28-3 lead at half-time. They didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half, either, scoring a further five unanswered tries to run out 59-3 victors to perfectly celebrate their 100th anniversary.
The main match between the Airlink Pumas and the Leopards continued the same trend as the Pumas dug their teeth into the men from the North West, who struggled to show their claws throughout the game. Kicking off at 15:10, the SA Cup encounter quickly started going in the favour of the Pumas. This was much to the delight of the sizeable crowd at the rugby club, with roughly 1 500 people in attendance.
The Pumas crossed the whitewash to dot down a try on six occasions, fly half Clinton Swart converted five of them. The Leopards responded with one unconverted try of their own to set the scoreline at 40-5 at half-time. The Leopards played better in the second half, conceding fewer points.
But the Pumas were a juggernaut that could not be stopped as they scored a further five tries, while the Leopards added another one of their own. This set the score at 71-10 when the final whistle blew, bringing to an end a riveting day of rugby at Nelspruit Rugby Club.
Swart’s seven out of eight conversions brings his tally for the season thus far to 32 out of a possible 34 kicks he has successfully slotted through the uprights.
This gives him a kicking success rate of 94.12% going into their crucial must-win encounter with the Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley on Friday May 3. It will be the Pumas’ biggest test by far so far this season.
They and the Griquas have been the pacesetters all throughout the first six rounds of the inaugural SA Cup, and this weekend’s clash will in all likelihood determine who gets hosting rights for the final.
