PORT ELIZABETH, MAY 27 (ANA) – The Southern Kings won only their second Super Rugby match of the season after they beat the Jaguares 29-22 in a bizarre fixture at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday night.
The Jaguares led 9-3 at halftime, but by then they were already down to 13 men after they copped two red cards in the first half. Lock Thomas Lavaninni and tighthead prop Ramiro Herrera were both sent for early showers after dangerous clean outs at ruck time.
The Kings initially struggled to put the Argentine side away following some questionable tactics after the break. But, after the Jaguares found themselves with only 12 men on the field after Tomas Lezana was yellow-carded in a 70th minute for collapsing a maul, they managed to win the game after scoring 19 points in the last 10 minutes.
The Kings took a 3-0 lead in the second minute after they were awarded a penalty in the Jaguares’ half. But they lost their fullback Jurgen Visser, who was taken off the field after a knock to the head.
The Kings actually had a lot of possession in and territory in the first half, but their execution and options let them down. And Jaguares flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez then levelled the scores in the 17th minute after with a penalty of his own.
However, the drama started in the 25th minute when Lavaninni was red carded after he made contact with a Kings player’s face with his elbow at a ruck.
Sanchez slotted another penalty for the Jaguares in the 34th minute to make it 6-3, but the visitors soon found themselves another man down after Herrera was sent off for a similar offence.
Sanchez slotted three consecutive penalties after halftime after the Kings decided to kick their possession away instead of trying to take on the Jaguares with ball in hand. The Kings also didn’t straighten the line and they were very easy to defend against.
However, the home side finally managed to get a try when prop Schalk Ferreira fell on the ball in the 58th minute after he charged down Jaguares scrumhalf Martin Landajo’s kick on the goal line.
The Jaguares, though, showed a lot of composure to hit straight back when Facundo Isa scored after just over 20 phases of pick-and-drives by the visitors.
The Jaguares were leading 22-10 when Lezana was shown a yellow card after repeated infringements by the visitors. The Kings then got a penalty try after deciding to go for a scrum, before Dewald Human and Wandile Mjekevu scored a try each for the home side to secure the bonus-point victory.
Scorers: Kings: Tries: Schalk Ferreira, Penalty Try, Dewald Human, Wandile Mjekevu. Conversions: Louis Fouche (3). Penalty: Fouche.
Jaguares: Try: Facundo Isa. Conversion: Nicolas Sanchez. Penalties: Sanchez (5). – African News Agency (ANA)
