Encouraged by a clinical 41-15 win over the Border Bulldogs, EP are eagerly anticipating a tough clash against the Griffons in Gqeberha on Saturday, Elephants coach Allister “Toetie” Coetzee says.
EP’s attacking capability was on display and they crossed for seven tries in wet and difficult conditions underfoot at Police Park in East London against a struggling Bulldogs side.
Thanks to their third victory, EP have 17 points on the SA Cup log and can climb up the table if they earn maximum points in their remaining matches against the Griffons and the Boland Cavaliers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The Griffons beat the SWD Eagles 57-27 in Welkom on Saturday to ensure they stay in the hunt for Currie Cup Premier Division promotion.
Flying wing Rodney Damons led the way for EP, scoring three tries, and Diego Williams (two), Deon Plaatjies and Davian Swanepoel also crossed for five pointers.
“EP were really pleased with the performance against Border and now we are really looking forward to Saturday’s clash against the Griffons at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,” Coetzee said.
“We scored seven tries and we really put Border to the sword.
“Our plan was to get off to a flying start and we led 17-3 at halftime and the boys just kept their foot on the accelerator in the second half.
“The plan was to have set piece dominance and to get our maul working well and I wanted the players to deliver a clinical performance.
“We made sure we were as clinical as possible.
“Our set piece was really tidy, though we did let a few opportunities slip from our grasp.
“EP’s players stepped up the intensity in the second half after I asked them to and their work rate was excellent.
“This was one of our better performances of the season and outscoring Border by seven tries to two is testimony to how hard the guys worked on defence.
“Scoring seven tries is a testimony to our growth on attack.
“Conditions were tough, soft underfoot, with rain all week leading up to the game.
“At one stage, Border even considered calling it off.
“Our set piece was dominant, and the impact from our bench was also good.
“It was a tough week where we lost flyhalf Chris Humphries on Wednesday, but Chadywn November started at number 10 and deputised admirably.”
In other matches, the Pumas ended Griquas’ remarkable unbeaten run in the SA Cup with a narrow 39-34 win in Mbombela to move to the top of the standings after the seventh round.
There were valuable victories for the Cheetahs, Boland Cavaliers and Griffons, who all strengthened their positions in the race for Currie Cup Premier Division qualification.
The Cheetahs solidified third place on the log table with a 59-17 victory over the Falcons.
With just two regulation games remaining before the playoffs, the Pumas moved into the lead on the log with 35 points, three more than the defending champions from Kimberley.
The leading duo are followed by the Cheetahs, whose fifth win increased their points tally to 27, which is two more than the Cavaliers (fourth) and the Griffons (fifth), with the Bolanders in that crucial fourth spot because of their better points differential.
The Falcons are just outside the top five with 20 points, followed by EP (17), the Eagles (seven), Leopards (four) and Border (two).
Scorers:
Border 15: Tries: Sakhe Dingile, Hlumelo Zitha. Conversion: Maxwell Klaasen. Penalty: Klaasen.
EP 41: Tries: Rodney Damons (3), Diego Williams (2), Wayne Ngubane, Deon Plaatjies. Conversions: Jayden Bantom (2), Chadwin November.
Weekend fixtures:
Friday: SWD Eagles v Griquas. Saturday: EP Elephants v Griffons, Cheetahs v Border Bulldogs, Leopards v Falcons, Boland Cavaliers v Pumas.
Log (all teams have played seven matches): Pumas 35, Griquas 32, Cheetahs 27, Boland Cavaliers 25, Griffons 25, Falcons 20, EP Elephants 17, SWD Eagles 7, Leopards 4, Border Bulldogs 2.
The Herald
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