THE Hino Valke scored seven tries on their way to an expansive 50-33 (halftime 17-20) victory over the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias in their opening game of the Supersport Rugby Challenge at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park on Saturday.
The game was still very tight with only a quarter of the match to go with the hosts leading their Namibian counterparts by just six points but then the Valke ran in five of their seven tries to comfortably win their North Section match and send the men from Windhoek packing.
But it was the visitors who began the match on fire, opening the scoring as early as the second minute with the first of their five tries through the left wing, Gino Wilson. Valke Flyhalf Warren Potgieter opened the scoring for the home side with a penalty to close the gap to four points after his counterpart, Theuns Kotze had converted the opening try.
The Welwitschias increased their lead when right wing Lesley Klim darted down the touchline to score in the right-hand corner but the lead remained at nine points as Kotze was unable to convert from a tight angle. The Valke’s Etienne Taljaard scored the first of his two tries of the afternoon after 25 minutes, beating a few defenders to score his side’s first try, which Potgieter converted.
It was a heavy tussle in the first stanza but the hosts registered their second five-pointer through flanker Dian Koen, who burst over the line from close range. Potgieter converted the try to give the Valke a slender two-point lead after Kotze had landed a penalty shortly before the try.
But the visitors were to have the last say in the first period when lock Maharua Katjijeko rumbled over in the corner after a well-taken lineout but as Kotze failed to convert, the men from Namibia had to be content with a three-point advantage heading into the break.
The home side rushed into a nine-point lead early in the second half with tries from Taljaard and right wing Grant Janke with Potgieter only converting Janke’s score but midway through the second stanza, the Welwitschias clawed back three points as Kotze landed a penalty.
Then the floodgates opened as the Valke landed two converted tries through flank Ernst Ladendorf and fullback Keaton Gordon to open up a 20-point lead going into the final 20 minutes of the match. Despite the visitors snatching back two unconverted tries of their own through scrumhalf and captain Eugene Jantjies and Number 8 Leneve Damens, the home side finished off the encounter when replacement Maphutha Dolo barged his way over on the stroke of fulltime. – supersport.com
SCORERS
Hino Valke – Tries: Etienne Taljaard (2), Dian Koen, Grant Janke, Ernst Ladendorf, Keaton Gordon, Maphutha Dolo; Conversions: Warren Potgieter (6); Penalties: Potgieter.
Windhoek Draught Welwitschias – Tries: Gino Wilson, Lesley Klim, Maharua Katjijeko, Eugene Jantjies, Leneve Damens; Conversion: Theuns Kotze; Penalties: Kotze (2).
