Fine finals year for Western Province

The year 2010 has been a successful one for Western Province for they have reached finals of a sort in all nine competitions/tournaments they have taken part in - from Under-13 Craven Week to Currie Cup.

At the Under-13 Craven Week, Western Province were chosen to play the final match of the tournament and beat the Blue Bulls 17-5.

They were also chosen to play the final matches at the Grant Khomo Week (for Under-16s), the LSEN Craven Week for special needs schools, the Academy Week and the Under-18 Craven Week.

At the Grant Khomo Week they beat Free State 17-13 in the Final match. At the LSEN Craven Week, they beat the Golden Lions 13-5 in the final match. At the Academy Week they drew 25-all with Boland in the final match. But at the Under-18 Craven Week Free State beat Western Province 42-21.

There have recently been four competitions involving Western Province that are reaching a climax.

On Saturday they played the Valke in the Amateur Provincial Final and won 36-29.

Then there were three semifinals - all at Newlands on Saturday.

The Under-19 team beat the Leopards 49-13 and will face the Blue Bulls in the final in Durban in two weeks' time.

The WP Under-21 side drew 49-49 with Free State after extra-time. It is a strange score and even stranger to win by that score. Western Province won on a superior try-count - five to three. They face the Blue Bulls in the final in Durban.

The Currie Cup team beat the Free State 31-7 in the semifinal at Newlands and now face the Sharks in the Currie Cup Final in Durban.

Of course, the one final that this website cares about most is the Varsity Cup Final - where the FNB Maties and FNB UCT (as they did in 2008) competed in the 2010 VC Final in Stellenbosch.

The Men in Maroon triumphed, as they did in 2008 and 2009 (v Pukke), to ensure that the Varsity Cup trophy would - once again - not be leaving the Western Cape.

Can WP do the same with the Currie Cup come next Saturday? Time will tell...