Africa-Press – South-Africa. Border Ladies centre Asisipho Plaatjies scored a last-minute
try that handed her team a dramatic 19-16 win in the Women’s Premier Division final
against Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday.
Victory gave Border their back-to-back Women’s Premier
Division title win, who defeated the same opponents last year.
Up until that very minute the home side, who took the lead
after 48 minutes of play, looked set to take back the national title, but a
stunning run from 40 meters out by Plaatjies secured the double for Border
Ladies.
It was a match fitting of a final in the premier event
of the domestic game for women’s rugby. Border, who held a slender 12-8 lead at
the break, only had themselves to blame for such a nail-biting finish.
They dominated the first half hour of the match, with their forwards
laying a solid foundation and supplying their willing backline more than enough
space and ball to have a go.
Tries by midfielder Aphiwe Ngwevu and wing Unathi Mali
were proof of that early dominance, while the hosts, who defended well despite
the onslaught, could only reply via a penalty goal by flyhalf Kirsten Conrad.
Despite their early attacking dominance, Border did not show
enough patience in building phases and their game management also let them down
in the latter half of the first half.
Twice they opted against going for poles from kickable
positions. Instead, they tried to barge over from short range, however, both
attempts delivered nothing.
The home side, on the other hand, were much more
clinical on attack and that almost won them the match.
After finally getting some hands on the ball in the last ten
minutes of the half, winger Donelle Snyders scored in the corner after a
pin-point cross-kick by Conrad.
That try and the 12-8 score line at the break almost
made a mockery of all the possession and territory Border enjoyed during the
first half.
The second half was all Western Province, until that
dramatic finish which tilted the game in Border’s favour.
Border were put under pressure from the restart and,
although they managed to snuff out the first wave of attacks from the home
side, it was just a matter of time before their defensive wall was breached.
Springbok prop Babalwa Latsha drove over from close quarters
for the second WP try, and the home side suddenly had the lead for the first
time in the match after 48 minutes.
That forced Border into more cohesion again, but their
industrious No 8 and captain, Lusanda Dumke, was guilty of trying to do too
much on her own, resulting in WP isolating her and getting vital turnovers.
Conrad extended the score with a penalty to 16-12 in the
65th minute as Border grew more desperate.
But Springbok Women’s Sevens player Plaatjies ,
in a last gasp attack from the defending champions, ran onto a beautiful pass
from prop Asithandile Ntoyanto, which gave her just enough space to slice
through the WP defence and crossed the try line with a lovely swan-dive for the
match-winning try.
Scorers:
WP – (8) 16
Tries: Donelle Snyders, Babalwa Latsha
Penalties: Kirsten Conrad (2)
Border Ladies
– (12) 19
Tries: Aphiwe Ngwevu, Unathi Mali, Asisipho Plaatjies
Conversions: Eloise Webb (2)
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