EP imploded catastrophically during a disastrous second half when they were thrashed 70-17 by Griquas in a lopsided SA Cup encounter, Elephants coach Allister “Toetie” Coetzee said.
After holding a narrow 14-10 halftime lead, a rampant Griquas outfit shifted gears and scored 56 points in a one-sided second half at the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley on Friday.
EP have two weeks to regroup before they are next in action against a struggling Border Bulldogs in East London on April 26.
Thanks to their runaway win, Griquas remained at the top of the log with a full house of 30 points, while EP are in seventh place with 12 points after six rounds.
At the end of the season, the top four teams on the 10-team log will earn qualification to play in the Currie Cup Premier Division.
EP’s problems mounted when Diego Williams and Stefan Willemse were yellow carded by referee Griffin Colby on a day they will not remember with fondness after staying in the fight until halftime.
EP’s try scorers in Kimberley were fullback Jayden Bantom and centre Sherwin Slater.
“This was a good reality check after a fantastic first half where I could not have asked for more from the players even though we squandered an opportunity of two,” Coetzee said.
“Turning at 14-10 was a big positive in Kimberley after travelling throughout the night from Gqeberha on a bus.
“But things just imploded in the second half.
“What can you say when you are up against a professional team who play in the Currie Cup, who are really well-drilled and a well-oiled machine when it comes to the set piece?
“That is what they did in the second half.
“Griquas’ set piece, line-out and maul dominance shut us out.
“EP conceded a couple of penalties from containing the maul, and we also got two cards because of the pressure.
“You can’t play with 13 guys against a team like Griquas.”
Coetzee said Griquas showed their pedigree in the second half when they put EP to the sword.
“What makes them so tough in Kimberley is that they can shift gears,” he said.
“That is what they did in the second half with the set piece coupled with flyhalf George Whitehead’s kicking game.
“Griquas can also shift it wide where they have individual talent and steppers that can cut a side open from broken play.
“These are lessons we have to learn and take on board if we want to play in the Currie Cup in the future, because it’s the kind of pressure you will be under.
“There are not a lot of teams that come to Kimberley and squeeze Griquas and put them under pressure.
“I am sure their coach (Pieter Bergh) got stuck into them at halftime because we played really well in the first half when we fired shots.
“If EP had not squandered opportunities in the opening 40 minutes, we could have been ahead.
“But Griquas are a top side, they came back and put us to the sword in the second half.”
Other results: Border Bulldogs 3 Boland Cavaliers 52, Leopards 10 Pumas 80, Falcons 45 Griffons 40, Cheetahs 87 SWD Eagles 15.
Log (all teams have played six matches): Griquas 30, Pumas 30, Cheetahs 22, Boland Cavaliers 20, Griffons 20, Falcons 20, EP Elephants 12, SWD Eagles 7, Leopards 4, Border Bulldogs 2.
The Herald
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