The win also saw Boksburg complete a 2-0 whitewash over their foes this season as they also edged United 19-12 in the two sides’ reverse fixture back in March.
The Owls also secured the bragging rights as the top team in town – at least for this current Valke Peregrine campaign.
Despite home ground advantage for the Owls, the Reiger Park outfit was tipped as favourites coming into the titanic clash according to the form book. Their previous three results read WWL including a famous win against Vereeniging. The Owls’ reading was WLL, with their latest loss being one of the clubs’ worst in a very long time.
True to its status, however, form had little to nothing to do with this one as the home side held its own against the free-scoring United. It was indeed Boksburg who enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession in the first stanza and they took full advantage as they enjoyed a slender 13-10 lead going into the half-time break.
United came out quicker out of the blocks in the second-half before rallying back. Fly-half Duane Brown, who orchestrated play well throughout the match for his side, scored the first points of the half with a successful penalty to tie the game.
The Owls’ first real chance of the half arrived moments after Brown’s kick: the home side was clear to score a try with pacey lock forward Willem Botes in pole position after benefitting from an overlap, but an old-fashioned, textbook low tackle by United scrum-half Clayton Gindan kept United in the game.
The game then entered a heated phase as tempers flared. It all started when blockbusting United back, Jacky Jonkers, who took over the vacated left-wing position by Cameron Lentoor, who has returned home in Eastern Cape, received a potentially game-changing yellow card for cynical play.
But then Boksburg were also reduced to 14 and then 13 men soon after.
Dean Basson tackled Brown without the ball to get his sending off before teammate Adriaan van der Nest followed suit after silly play.
It didn’t take long for United’s significant advantage to affect proceedings as the referee ran out of patience with the Owls’ desperate and illegal defence and handed United a penalty try which Brown easily converted, 20-13.
PJ Beukes would soon trim United’s lead to four with a penalty and the encounter stayed at 20-16 for the rest of the game before the decisive moment.
With play deep into United’s half and just time for one phase remaining, the Owls swiftly moved the ball from one end of the pitch to the other as a huge overlap was created before Jonkers added the finishing touch.
ALSO READ THE COMMENTS OF THE COACHES, CAPTAINS
Scorers:
Boksburg
Tries: Adriaan van der Nest, Jason Jonker
Conversions: PJ Beukes
Penalties: PJ Beaukes (3)
United
Tries: Dustin Losch, penalty try
Conversions: Duane Brown (2)
Penalties: Duane Brown (2) – @SabeloBoksburg
