PORT ELIZABETH – The Southern Kings created Super Rugby history on Saturday night when they thumped the Rebels 44-3 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Coach Deon Davids’ Kings outfit recorded back-to-back Super Rugby victories for the first time and recorded their biggest ever winning margin.
The Kings ran rampant in the second half, scoring five tries and 33 unanswered points.
With neither side having anything to play for in terms of the Super Rugby log, they opted for a free-spirited approach, and the tiny crowd was treated to entertaining ball-in-hand rugby.
It was a pity that the skill levels often did not match the ambition, and it took until the 20th minute for the first try to be scored.
There had been strong running down the touchline by in-form left wing Makazole Mapimpi and when the ball was stretched to the other touchline, flyhalf Lionel Cronjé threaded a grubber through the defence for right wing Wandile Mjekevu to gather and score.
Cronjé could not convert, but had kicked a fourth-minute penalty and the home side were 8-0 in front.
Rebels fullback Reece Hodge pulled back three points on the half-hour mark, but five minutes before the break, Cronjé was on target with the boot after the Rebels had been penalised for a high tackle, and it would remain 11-3 until halftime.
The Rebels had lost both their scrumhalves to injury in the first half and having to use a flank in the position affected their game.
The Kings struck first in the second half in dramatic fashion when Mjekevu made a clean break from the halfway line, and hard-working hooker Martin Bezuidenhout stormed up in support to finish off near the posts.
Deon Davids is building something very special with this team. Well done @SouthernKingsSA
More good results to come. #KINvREB
— Southern Kings (@SouthernKingsSA) April 29, 2017
The Kings suffered a major injury blow of their own 10 minutes into the half when Cronjé went off with suspected concussion after he had been tackled heavily close to the Rebels’ line when up in support of a fine break by No 8 Andisa Ntsila.
As the game hit the three-quarter mark, the Kings scored the match-clinching try when scrumhalf Louis Schreuder broke around the front of a lineout and fed flank Tyler Paul for a neat score and a strong 23-3 lead.
It was all over bar the celebrating when the Kings scored a marvellous team try that was finished off by replacement flyhalf Pieter-Steyn de Wet, who added a conversion for an imposing 30-3 lead.
Mapimpi capped a fine performance with a well-deserved try before another star of the game, fullback Masixole Banda, had the final say with the sixth try.
Points-Scorers
Kings 44 – Tries: Wandile Mjekevu, Martin Bezuidenhout, Tyler Paul, Pieter-Steyn de Wet, Makazole Mapimpi, Masixole Banda. Conversions: Lionel Cronjé (1), Pieter-Steyn de Wet (3). Penalties: Lionel Cronjé (2).
Rebels 3 – Penalty: Reece Hodge (1).