Province back at the top

Western Province overcame a game, but outclassed, Griquas 36-12 at Newlands on Saturday to reclaim their place at the top of the Currie Cup standings.

Despite a very scrappy second half - and some questionable refereeing - it was a valuable win for WP.

They had lost the No.1 position to the Golden Lions - who had beaten the Pumas on Friday and also overcame Province last week.

However, the win - by five tries to two - ensure the Cape Town-based outfit remain in control of their own destination.

The match ended on a frantic note - when both teams scored a try - but by then the match had long been settled as a contest, with Province having led 24-0 at the break.

Griquas yet again had to play part of the match with 14 players, which did little to help their cause against a rampant Cape outfit.

Province showed their attacking intent from the start when they ran in a try after only two minutes from turned-over possession, but referee Lesego Legoete spotted an infringement earlier on and the score was disallowed.

Griquas showed intent of their own, but ran into a brick wall as the Province defence weighed in with reliable man-on-man tackling.

This prompted Griquas to kick up-field instead whenever they needed to get out of their own half.

With ample supply of possession from first-phase play, Province's new-found attacking prowess played havoc with Griquas' defensive lines and by the 25th minute, the Newlands outfit ran in three tries.

Justin Geduld, making his debut in a starting XV, scored a sixth-minute try after a backline movement, which was sprung just outside the Griquas 22-metre area.

Fullback Cheslin Kolbe, who provided the scoring pass, drew two defenders before sending Geduld clear.

Sikhumbuzo Notshe, another player to make his debut in the run-on 15, scored the second try in the 16th minute, before flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis was on target again with the conversion attempt.

A minute later. the visiting Griquas suffered a double setback when their tighthead prop Nicolaas van Dyk was yellow-carded and Province goaled the resulting penalty for a 17-0 lead after 20 minutes.

There was more woe four minutes later when Province breached the Griquas defence yet again and this time prop Brok Harris was the scorer.

Catrakilis gave Province a 24-0 lead when he goaled the conversion.

The string of setbacks brought the best out of Griquas and for a while, when they were reduced to 14 players, they managed to pin Province down in their own 22-metre.

During this time they managed to cross the whitewash but the television match official, Shaun Veldsman, decided against awarding the try.

In the final five minutes of the first half, when Griquas were restored to a full team, they exerted pressure on the Province defence, but could not make it on to the scoreboard by the time the half-time whistle sounded.

When play resumed, Griquas started where they left off and this time they needed only three minutes to open their account.

From a line-out, some 15 metres out, former Province lock Hilton Lobberts broke powerfully around the front before his teammate, Ruaan Lerm, gathered the stray ball and dived over Griquas' first try, which went unconverted.

Province always looked the more threatening but they seemed to lose their way out on the flanks when there were chances to round the opposition defence.

Griquas, on the other hand, needed to be far more enterprising than trying the run Province off their feet, but they never gave up.

The second-half target for Province was very much a fourth try for the bonus point.

The point would be provided in the 58th minute when Notshe notched his second try.

Three minutes from the end, Province had the crowd on its feet with a move from their tryline to the opposite, when Kolbe touched down in the corner but again, the try was disallowed.

A minute later, Griquas cut loose from the restart and substitute Abrie Griesel scored his second try, and Dean Grant goaled the conversion.

Referee Legoete allowed some four minutes extra-time and Province ran in a fifth try, through Kolbe, and replacement flyhalf Kurt Coleman added the conversion.

Man of the match: Hilton Lobberts tried gamely and Nicolaas la Grange also had his moments. Cheslin Kolbe was always a threat on attack and Siyabonga Ntubeni was his usual bundle of energy. However, our award goes to rookie Western Province loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who was a menace at the breakdown and a monster on defence.

Scorers:

For Western Province:

Tries: Geduld, Notshe 2, Harris, Kolbe

Cons: Catrakilis 3, Coleman

Pen: Catrakilis

For Griquas:

Tries: Griesel, Lerm

Con: Grant

Yellow card: Nicolaas van Dyk (Griquas, 25 - foul play, head-butt)

Teams:

 

Western Province: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Justin Geduld, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Alistair Vermaak.

Replacements: 16 Neil Rautenbach, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Manuel Carizza, 20 Rohan Kitshoff, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Kurt Coleman.

 

Griquas: 15 Gouws Prinsloo, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Jonathan Francke, 12 Gideon la Grange, 11 Petrus Vermeulen, 10 Francois Brummer (captain), 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Burger Schoeman, 7 Ruaan Lerm, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Hilton Lobberts, 3 Nicolaas van Dyk, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Steph Roberts.

Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Janro van Niekerk, 18 Jonathan Adendorf, 19 Carel Greeff, 20 Abrie Griesel, 21 Dean Grant, 22 Danie Dames.

 

Referee: Lesego Legoete

Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Marc van Zyl

TMO: Shaun Veldsman