The defending champions – Vodacom Blue Bulls – conceded their second defeat in the 2011 Vodacom Cup after going down to the Boland Cavaliers at Loftus Versfeld. The defending champions conceded a 30-19 loss to the Sharks XVs last weekend, and suffered a surprise home result against their Wellington opponents who secured their first win of the competition.

A penalty kick by Boland’s Jaquin Jansen ultimately proved to be the difference between the teams on the scoreboard. The Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Boland Cavaliers each scored three tries while Jansen and Marnitz Boshoff kicked one conversion for their respective provincial teams.

Vodacom Blue Bulls centre Stefan Watermeyer scored a brace, while utility back Pieter van der Walt ran in the hosts’ third try of the match. Boland’s five-pointers were scored by Cornal Hendricks, Clemen Lewis and veteran scrumhalf Bolla Conradie.

Last year’s losing finalists – Toyota Free State Cheetahs – conceded their first defeat in the 2011 Vodacom Cup after going down 36-35 to the Ford Pumas at Ermelo on Saturday. The victory for the Mpumalanga team ensured that they ended round two in second position on the North Section log, one point behind Griquas who comprehensively defeated the Border Bulldogs 84-9 in East London on Saturday.

The Bloemfontein team scored four tries to the three ran in by the hosts. However the boot of Ford Pumas flyhalf Ricardo Croy proved to be the difference between the two teams in this match. Croy kicked four penalties, three conversions and a drop goal to end the game with the personal points’ haul of 21 after Deon Scholtz, Coenie van Wyk and Christo le Roux scored tries for the hosts.

The 19-year-old Toyota Free State Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen notched up 15 points for the visitors after kicking three penalties and three conversions. Centre Corne Uys and scrumhalf Tertuis Carse both scored braces for the Bloemfontein team.

In Kempton Park, DHL Western Province racked up nine tries as they outclassed the Valke 86-14 at the Barnard Stadium on Saturday. Wimpie van der Walt, JJ Engelbrecht and Hilton Lobberts each scored two tries while hooker Sidney Tobias, scrumhalf Nick Groom, centre Tim Whitehead, No 8 Siya Kolisi, winger Marcel Brache and flyhalf Lionel Cronjé ran in five-pointers for the Cape Town team. The visitors were also awarded a penalty try by referee Francisco Pastrama. Cronje kicked nine conversions and one penalty to end the game with a personal haul of 26 points.

Meanwhile the EP Kings are currently in pole position on the South Section log due to a better points’ differential over the Sharks XVs following their 31-25 victory over the Platinum Leopards in Potchefstroom on Friday evening. The Sharks XVs secured maximum points from their trip to Windhoek after they defeated the Welwitschias 25-5 on Saturday. The Pampas XVs also stunned the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Friday after they managed to achieve a 15-9 win at Coca-Cola Park.

Vodacom Cup Results and Scorers (Round Two):

Scorers: Golden Lions 9 – Penalties: André Pretorius (3). Pampas XV 15 – Tries: Leonardo Senatore, Juan Imhoff; Conversion: Nicolas Sanchez; Penalty: Santiago Iglesias.

Scorers: Vodacom Blue Bulls 17 – Tries: Stefan Watermeyer (2), Pieter van der Walt. Conversion: Marnitz Boshoff. Boland Cavaliers 20 – Tries: Cornal Hendricks, Clemen Lewis, Bolla Conradie. Conversion: Jacquin Jansen. Penalty: Jansen.

Scorers: Platinum Leopards 25 – Try: Jaco van Zyl; Conversion: Dauw Steyn; Penalties: Steyn (5), Colin Lloyd. EP Kings 31 – Tries: Norman Nelson, Barend Pieterse, Mpho Mbiyozo; Conversions: Monty Dumond (2); Penalties: Dumond (3), Jaco van Schalkwyk.

Scorers: Valke 14 – Tries: Kyle Hendricks, Coert Cronjé; Conversions: Dillon Laubscher (2). DHL Western Province 86 – Tries: Wimpie van der Walt (2), JJ Engelbrecht (2), Hilton Lobberts (2), Sidney Tobias, Nick Groom, Tim Whitehead, Siya Kolisi, Marcel Brache, Lionel Cronjé, Penalty Try; Conversions: Cronjé (9); Penalties: Cronjé.

Scorers: Ford Pumas 36 – Tries: Deon Scholtz, Coenie van Wyk, Christo le Roux; Conversions: Ricardo Croy (3); Penalties: Croy (4); Drop goal: Croy.Toyota Free State Cheetahs 35 – Tries: Corné Uys (2), Tertius Carse (2). Conversions: Johan Goosen (3). Penalties: Goosen (3).

Scorers: Welwitschias 5 – Try: Morné Blom. Sharks XV 25 – Tries: Kobus de Kock (2), Sibusiso Sithole, Marcell Coetzee; Conversion: Ross Cronjé; Penalty: Ross Cronjé.

Scorers: Griffons 38 – Tries: Thabang Molefe, Tertius Maarman, Shane Hancke, Nicky Steyn, JP van Heerden; Conversions: Tiaan van Wyk (5); Penalty: Van Wyk. SWD Eagles 41 – Tries: Braam Immelman (2), Marcell Potts, Howard Noble, Josephus Oosthuizen, Mzo Dyanti; Conversions: Ambrose Barends (4); Penalty: Barends.

Scorers: Griquas 84 – Tries: Wesley Wilkins (3), Richard Lawson (2), Ashley Wells, Barry Geel, Fabian Juries, Frikkie Spies, Wilmaure Louw, Logan Basson, Rudi Vogt, Burger Schoeman; Conversions: Rudi Vogt (3), Earl Rose (5); Penalty: Vogt. Border Bulldogs 9 – Penalties: Brad Birkholtz (3).

Vodacom Cup Tables (as at 6 March 2011)