The 2014 Sub-Union South tournament got off to a thrilling start in Kimberley on Monday with big wins dominating the opening day’s play – one of which saw the DHL Western Province Disa side start with a convincing victory.
The DHL WP Disa’s beat Eastern Province 42-24, SWD defeated Free State 36-23 to kick off the competition, whilst Boland thumped Border 48-5 and defending champions, the KwaZulu-Natal Wildebeest, registered a 45-28 victory against Griquas.
The battle between SWD and the Free State was hard-fought as the teams threw everything at each other. But SWD’s effectiveness at converting their point-scoring chances into points allowed them to work their way into a 19-10 lead at the break. They maintained this form in the second half, which secured them a 36-23 victory.
Boland, meanwhile, started their clash against Border with a bang as they built up a morale-boosting 31-5 lead at the break. With form and confidence favouring the Wellington side, they managed to increase their try tally to eight in the second half to secure their emphatic 48-5 victory.
Similarly to SWD and the Free State, Western Province and Eastern Province were involved in a tight tussle, particularly in the first half. The Cape side, however, edged their way into a 17-14 half-time lead. They supported this with a dominant showing in the second half which allowed them to inflate their lead significantly on the scoreboard.
In the final match of the day the KwaZulu-Natal Wildebeest got off to a flying start against Griquas to steer their way to an encouraging 31-7 lead.
But Griquas fought back strongly in the second half with three tries to add to one in the first half. This brave effort, however, was not enough to reverse the Durban side’s strong first-half showing. They also managed to add to their score in the second half, which saw them stretch their lead to 42-24.
In Wednesday’s fixtures, Free State will take on Griquas, Border will meet Eastern Province, SWD will go up against the KZN Wildebeest and Boland will battle it out with neighbours Western Province.
RESULTS AND FIXTURES:
Sub-Union South results (Day One – Monday, September 15):
Free State 23 SWD 36
Boland 48 Border 5
Eastern Province 24 DHL Western Province Disa 42
Griquas 28 KZN Wildebeest 45
Sub-Union South fixtures (Day Two – Wednesday, September 17):
10h00: Free State v Griquas
12h00: Border v Eastern Province
14h00: SWD v KZN Wildebeest
16h00: Boland v DHL Western Province Disa