Slick WP cruise past Blue Bulls

Western Province scored five tries to secure a convincing 42-6 bonus-point victory over the Blue Bulls at Newlands on Saturday.

Where were they? Where were the teams before who played in this astounding match which turned this year's Currie Cup upside down?

Where was that Western Province team that could not score tries? Against the Blue Bulls this Saturday night, they scored five tries - and could have got more.

Where was the Blue Bulls' team that last week smashed the Sharks? Against Western Province this Saturday night they were woeful, smashed to smithereens - and it could have been much worse. They could have lost by even more. This normally most organised of teams looked a shambles - especially their woeful backline. Even simple catching and passing seemed beyond their competence.

It was an astounding match all right and it will be fascinating to see how next week's Currie Cup pans out. 120 years later and it is still a wonderful competition.

Before the match Pine Pienaar, the Blue Bulls coach had said that his team, so ascendant against the Sharks, needed to improve their defence. What they did about improving it is a mystery as the defence was almost as meaningless as their attack.

The sad thing about the Currie Cup this year is the crowds. Matches are played at silly times and small crowds arrive. In days gone by this match would have been sold out long in advance, tickets advertised in newspapers at exorbitant prices. On Saturday night there were 13,649 spectators. Their small numbers did not stop them making a noise, including ill-mannered booing of Dewald Potgieter who came out ahead of his team to honour his 50th Currie Cup match. He had the honour of being booed!

The Blue Bulls had a chance to score early on but Louis Fouché missed a penalty. Western Province dropped out and suddenly Scarra Ntubeni was racing down the left touchline. He started for Western Province for the very first time and was a revelation of constructive energy.

When Fouché was penalised at a tackle, Demetri Catrakilis of the metronomic boot goaled a penalty. 3-0 after 11 minutes.

At this stage there was a delay as Dewaldt Duvenage was taken off on the mobile stretcher, his right ankle injured when he was tackled by big Werner Kruger. Nic Groom took his place and grew in stature as the game went on. His second half was excellent.

Deon Fourie, the hooker who plays loose forward and in this match even played scrumhalf while Groom was having bleeding stanched, came within centimetres of scoring when he burst away from a ruck, chipped over the fullback and knocked on as he dived at the ball to get it before the covering Akona Ndungane.

The Blue Bulls' were penalised and Gio Aplon tapped. The next things Fourie was at the line and then Groom sold a little dummy and darted in for the try. 10-0 after 20 minutes.

Injury plagued Deon Stegmann left the field with a sore left arm, his place taken by Warwick Tecklenburg.

Western Province took a dip. They won a turnover but Groom kicked the ball directly into touch. From the line-out Kruger charged downfield and Rynhardt Elstadt was penalised. This time Fouché goaled. 10-3 after 29 minutes.

This all seemed normal and it seemed even more normal when the Blue Bulls' attacked again and Don Armand went offside. 10-6 after 31 minutes.

That was the end of normalcy. From now on dreams started coming true.

Western Province mauled a line-out from a penalty and Ntubeni just lost the ball at the line. The referee went back to a penalty. Western Province kicked out and mauled again and this time found little resistance in driving over the Blue Bulls' line for a try which Fourie scored. 17-6.

That was the half-time score. Both the Western Province tries had been essentially forward efforts at the line.

At the start of the second half Damian de Allende was on for Ederies Arendse and proceeded to have a splendid, highly active game.

Right from the start of the half, Groom showed his worth, no longer the two-step-and-pass scrumhalf. He broke and then he broke again. Western Province were on the attack. They came back left where young JP du Plessis flipped an under-arm pass to Marcel Brache who scored. A Western Province back scored a try. 24-6 after 46 minutes.

From the kick-off Aplon broke and Western Province were back attacking. Grant Hattingh tackled high and Catrakilis goaled. 27-6 after 49 minutes. If you stopped to think in the midst of growing euphoria it seemed so unrealistic.

The Blue Bulls' had a brief spell of phases but soon gave up the idea as Fouché dropped at goal and missed. That was their chance to score in the second half wasted.

The Western Province attacked again off a  maul with a good run by Gerhard van den Heever. They went left where Aplon passed a short pass to De Allende on his left and the strong three-quarter scored the bonus-point try. 34-6 after 58 minutes, and from the kick-off Ntubeni won a turnover and Western Province attacked again.

The Blue Bulls' were penalised at a scrum and Catrakilis goaled. 37-6 after 62 minutes.

A penalty gave Western Province a line-out and they again went left where with contemptuous ease Du Plessis handed off new Springbok JJ Engelbrecht, playing centre when Johann Sadie was substituted, and scored. 42-6.

Man of the Match: There are several candidates - all from Western Province. In particular there were JP du Plessis, Marcel Brache, Demitri Catrakilis and Nic Groom amongst the backs and Rynhardt Elstadt and Deon Fourie amongst the forwards and our choice Siyabonga Ntubeni whose mother had come from King William's Town and for the first time saw him play for Western Province.

The scorers:

For Western Province:

Tries: Groom, Fourie, Brache, De Allende, Du Plessis

Cons: Catrakilis 4

Pens: Catrakilis 3

For the Blue Bulls:

Pens: Fouche 2

Teams:

Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Ederies Arendse, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Don Armand, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Deon Carstens.

Replacements: 16 Steven Kitshoff, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Helmut Lehmann, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Damian de Allende, 22 Kurt Coleman.

Blue Bulls: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Louis Fouché, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Dawie Steyn.

Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Warwick Tecklenburg, 20 Rudi Paige, 21 Lionel Cronje, 22 Jurgen Visser.

Referee: Lourens van der Merwe

Assistant referees: Jonathan Kaplan, Marc van Zyl

TMO: Johann Meuwesen