Griqua Rugby and www. Griquas.co.za, the official website, wish Butch alais Nic Slabbert, who played rugby for Griqualand West from 1945 to 1948, a very happy 90^th birthday on Sunday a wish him all of the best for the future.

Wildeklawer Griqua’s captain, Gareth Krause plays in his last home match and his 95^th for the team in a Cuurie Cup fixture against the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Absa Park in Kimberely, in fron t of a good crowd of about 4000 spectators.

Griquas got the match under way by kicking the ball over the deadball line for a scrum on the halfway. But in the fifth minute after a full back line move by Griquas, MJ Mentz dotted down in the near corner, after Griquas were denied a try by Bees Roux in the second minute of the match, Griquas 7-0 ahead. However Bulls equalized in the 12^th minute via a try by Fourie du Preez near the posts for Morne Steyn to convert, 7 all. In the 20^th minute Conrad Barnard kicked a 42 meter penalty, 14 meters in to take the lead by 3 to 10-7, but 2 minutes later, Wynand Olivier went over, 5 meters in from touch, conversion missed, score 12-10 to the Bulls. Griquas defence became a bit brittle in the 27^th minute when some good inter play by the Bulls saw Derick Kuun score for Steyn to convert easily, 19-10. Conrad Barnard made an excellent break after Gareth Krause made the initial play, to score a self converted try, but 3 minutes later, Morne Steyn kicked a 38 meter penalty to take the score to 22-17. With a minute left in the half, Derick Kuun barged over for his second try, from a penalty, converted by Steyn, making the half time score 29-17.

Bulls got the second half under way. In the first minute after some poor defence from Griquas, Kuun went over for his third try on the far side touchline, which was very well converted by Morne Steyn, score 36 to the Bulls and 17 to Griquas. However after a good break by Griqua skipper, Gareth Krause and a good line movement, Sarel Pretorius went over in the far corner for an unconverted try, score 36-22. Steyn kicked a penalty in the 18^th minute to increase Bull’s lead to 39-22. Five minutes later the visitors surged further ahead, after Griquas put pressure on them in their 22 meter, they ran the ball out and down the line ending in Akona Ndungane scoring without a finger being laid on him and converted by Burton Francis. In the 37^th minute Bryan Habana scored his only try of the match, converted by Francis nd with a minute left in the match, Bulls were still not finished, when Tiger Mangweni ran all of 40 meters to score an unconverted try taking the final score to 58 to the Vodacom Blue Bulls and 22 to Wildeklawer Griquas.

Point Scorers: Wildeklawer Griquas; Tries Conrad Barnard, MJ Mentz and Sarel Pretorius. Conversions Banrad 2. Penalty Barnard. Total 22

Vodacom Blue Bulls; Tries Derick Kuun 3, Akona Ndungane, Wayne Olivier, Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez and Tiger Mangweni. Conversions Morne Steyn 4, Burton Francis 2. Penalties Steyn 2. Total 58 Man of Match, Derick Kuun.