Paul Roos scored six tries to thrash Grey High 43-8 in Stellenbosch on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
The home side, powered by a solid forward pack, had plenty of possession and made good on-field decisions to dominate territory. The visitors struggled to deal with the pace of the game and were often rushed in their decision-making and made a number of poor handling errors.
The visitors did start well, getting an early penalty, which flyhalf Matthew Easton converted. However, that was Grey’s last highlight of the half as Paul Roos recomposed themselves and got their first try through captain and hooker JJ Kotze, who went over from the back of a driving maul.
An area from which Grey can take some confidence was their scramble defending as they were able to make a number of excellent last-ditch tackles and turnovers on their own tryline. However, Paul Roos were kept finding the gaps and extended their lead when wing Tiaan Pretorius went over in the corner.
Fullback Kade Wolhuter, who had an excellent day with the boot, kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty, before flank Herman Heyns went over under the posts after a good break from Pretorius, with Wolhuter converting to make it 22-3 at half-time.
The hosts were equally dominant at the start of the second half, but some superb defending and breakdown work, especially from Grey flank CJ Greef, ensured that they did not add to their lead.
However, Paul Roos eventually broke through as flyhalf Juan Mostert produced a good offload to put Regan van der Westhuizen in for a try.
Grey High then had their most consistent period of possession and made it count as wing Andrew Dalglish went over. The visitors received a further blow when lock Laken Grey was yellow-carded for cynically collapsing a Paul Roos maul that seemed set for the tryline.
The home side got their fifth try when replacement flank Gerhard Cloete muscled his way over from close range before Kotze was yellow-carded for a cynical trip. Despite losing their captain for the rest of the match, Paul Roos managed a final try as Wolhuter crossed after a throwing a dummy and sprinting through a gap.
Paul Roos – Tries: JJ Kotze, Tiaan Pretorius, Herman Heyns, Regan van der Westhuizen, Gerhard Cloete, Kade Wolhuter. Conversions: Wolhuter (5). Penalty: Wolhuter.
Grey High – Try: Andrew Dalglish. Penalty: Matthew Easton.
