The Eastern Province Kings romped to their sixth consecutive victory in the Absa Currie Cup First Division with a resounding 60-24 win over the South Western Districts Eagles, in George, last Friday.
Fullback SP Marais was the star of the show, as he crossed the line for four of the Kings' nine tries on the night. Marais’ electric running was too much for the Eagles to handle as he extended his season’s try scoring tally to 13 in just seven matches.
The Eastern Province Kings romped to their sixth consecutive victory in the Absa Currie Cup First Division with a resounding 60-24 win over the South Western Districts Eagles, in George, last Friday.
Fullback SP Marais was the star of the show, as he crossed the line for four of the Kings' nine tries on the night. Marais’ electric running was too much for the Eagles to handle as he extended his season’s try scoring tally to 13 in just seven matches.
The Kings were again dominant up front, with their tight five annihilating their opponents in the scrums. Captain Luke Watson was in his usual aggressive mood and insured that the Kings secured good ball at the breakdown. The flanker is such a class act that many believed he may have been a bolter into the Springbok World Cup squad. However, his replacement at Bath and former Stormers teammate, Francois Louw, got the call-up.
Having started slowly with a 10-3 deficit, the Kings started to claw their way back. They went into the break with a lead of 22-10, courtesy of a quality cross-kick from flyhalf Louis Strydom that landed in the hands of that man, Marais, right on the stroke of half time.
The second half was all one-way traffic as the silky running skills of outside backs Marais and Norman Nelson saw the Kings scoring almost at will.
The Eagles did manage two second-half tries but the fresh legs brought off the Kings bench sealed off the game for good in the last quarter. The replacements from the EP side added the spark that was needed to break the spirits of the Eagles and send the scoreboard into overdrive.
Despite a few defensive lapses, the Kings will yet again be pleased with the result and they continue to be the pace-setters in this year’s tournament.
There are still four round robin fixtures that await the Kings with their next game being a local rivalry against the Border Bulldogs in Port Elizabeth at 7 o'clock tonight. Having beaten the Bulldogs 62-15 in their previous encounter, it's unlikely Kings will stumble.
That said, they need to treat each team with respect in order to retain the momentum they will need to once again lift the Absa Currie Cup First Division title.
