Fiery EP edge Boland after see-saw Craven Week battle

Playing with fire in their bellies, Eastern Province produced a stunning second-half display to edge Boland 32-31 after a thrill-a-minute U18 Craven Week battle in Gqeberha on Wednesday.

The outcome was hanging in the balance until the closing minutes after a helter-skelter duel which had the big crowd on the edge of their seats at the Kolisi Field at Grey High School.

EP were growing in confidence in the closing stages against a Boland side who were left with 13 players on the field after referee Caleb Hibbert handed out two yellow cards.

Inventive EP scrumhalf Luke Doyle was named player of the match after an influential display which enabled his team to clinch the contest after the teams had been level at 17-17 at halftime.

“Our game plan was to get go-forward ball, and I think we did that pretty well,” Doyle said.

“It was a huge honour to represent EP today, and I want to thank everyone who came out to watch.”

Delighted EP skipper Erin Nelson said: “This was a big game, and we could feel the crowd was behind us, and we wanted to give them a show.

“It was a tough game, and Boland are a good side who did not give up until the end.

“Our forwards gave us front-foot ball today and that helped us a lot.”

Boland showed good energy at the start and were propelled on to attack by their bustling forwards.

The early pressure paid off when burly prop Anzio Brinkhuis powered his way through EP’s defence for the first try of the game in the fifth minute.

EP hit back four minutes later when Akho Tonjeni dived over for the game’s second try after clever play at the front of a lineout caught Boland napping.

Boland were full of running at the start, and their explosive backs looked dangerous whenever they had the ball in hand.

Both teams were in full attack mode and were not afraid to run the ball from deep inside their own half.

The aggressive Bolanders were over for a second try when Jaydan van Niekerk scored to give his team a 12-5 lead midway through the first half.

The flurry of tries continued in the 23rd minute when lively EP wing Niel September dived over in the corner after pressure from the home side.

EP grabbed the lead after 26 minutes when hard-running centre Nelson punched a gaping hole in Boland’s defence to give his team fresh hope.

Boland levelled the scores at 17-17 when dangerous fullback Anwill Jacobs outstripped EP’s defence to go over for his team’s third try.

Just before the break, EP launched a frantic attack, but they were left frustrated by determined last-ditch defending by the Bolanders.

Playing into the wind, EP struck the first blow in the second half when hooker Micah Wessels scored from a maul to give his team a narrow 22-17 lead.

The see-saw nature of the duel continued when Boland forward JP Lotriet scored his team’s fourth try to hand his team a 24-22 advantage after Jaydan van Niekerk nailed the conversion.

The lead changed hands again in the 57th minute when Tristan Kemp kicked a crucial penalty to give the team in red and black hoops a 25-24 advantage.

The win enabled EP to shrug off the disappointment of losing to Western Province in their opening match on Monday.

Playing on home soil for the first time since 2012, when matches were staged at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, EP had been determined to shine on home soil.

The Bolanders came in the match with their tails up after they fired late to secure a 39-20 win over the Leopards on Monday.

In their opening game on Wednesday, EP delivered a fighting display before they were beaten 42-25 by tournament favourites Western Province.

The EP U18 girls team, who beat the Bulls 38-8 on Monday, won their second game when they beat Boland 41-0 on Wednesday.

Scorers:

Eastern Province 32: Tries: Akho Tonjeni, Niel September, Erin Nelson, Micah Wessels, Luke Doyle. Conversions: Nathan Trytsman, Tristan Kemp. Penalty: Kemp.

Boland 31: Tries: Anzio Brinkhuis, Jaydan van Niekerk, Anwill Jacobs, JP Lotriet, Joniel Claasen. Conversions: Jaydan van Niekerk (3).

Other boys’ U18 scores: Leopards 57 Limpopo Bulls 14, Free State 38 SWD 26, Western Province 24 Sharks 22.

Thursday’s boys’ fixtures: 10am: Griffons vs Valke, 11.45am: Border vs Pumas, 1.30pm: Blue Bulls vs Griquas, 3.15pm: Golden Lions vs Western Province XV.

Results of Wednesday’s girls’ U18 matches: Griquas 30 Leopards 5, Pumas 28 Sharks 0, Border 36 Blue Bulls 0, Valke 19 Free State 10, EP 41 Boland 0, Limpopo 5 Griffons 22, WP 12 Golden Lions 10, SWD 15 EP XV 10.