Province cement top spot
Western Province were made to work hard, but came away with a bonus-point 37-23 win over a determined Pumas team in Nelspruit on Friday.
The result – their fifth bonus-point win of 2014 – helped Province cement their place at the top of the standings.
They found themselves up against a very determined home side who launched a spirited second-half fightback.
Province led by 20-6 at half-time – thanks to first-half tries by loose forwards Nizaam Carr and Sikhumbuzo Notshe – with an early second-half score by Michael van der Spuy (who came on for Cheslin Kolbe at the start of the second half) handing them a 27-6 lead after 45 minutes.
However, the Pumas scored two converted tries in the space of just three minutes – shortly after the 50-minute mark – to close the gap to just 27-20, before kicking ace Demetri Catrakilis added a third penalty goal in the 57th minute to stretch his team's lead to 30-20.
Replacement Pumas flyhalf Justin van Staden narrowed the gap almost soon after to 30-23, but the hosts continued their all-out attack on Province who, despite the pressure on them, did not allow their opponents to breach their watertight defence.
In the end, that pressure told for WP as they disrupted a Pumas line-out on their own 22. Pat Cilliers carried well around the fringes before Carr sped away for his second try of the night and his team's fourth (and bonus point!) try.
The victory, WP's seventh of the 2014 Currie Cup, has seem them take a step closer to a second successive home semifinal, as they currently sit on 34 log points from eight games.
Flank Michael Rhodes (for his unrelenting carries and defence) and No.8 Nizaam Carr (with ball in hand, two tries) and flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis were the big heroes for WP.
Catrakilis did not miss a single kick at goal, contributing 17 points, whilst he also had a hand in Carr's first try and Van der Spuy's five-pointer and his kicking out of hand (off boot feet and at crucial stages) was, again, excellent.
The scorers:
For the Pumas:
Tries: Watermeyer, Van Rooyen
Cons: Van Staden 2
Pens: Roos 3
For Western Province:
Tries: Carr 2, Notshe, Van der Spuy
Cons: Catrakilis 4
Pens: Catrakilis 3
The teams:
Pumas: 15 John-Wessel Bell, 14 Ruwellyn Isbell, 13 Jacobus Jonker, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Rosko Speckman, 10 Juan-Claude Roos, 9 Reynier van Rooyen, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Jaco Bouwer, 6 Corne Steenkamp (captain), 5 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 4 Marius Coetzer, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Frankie Herne, 1 Corne Fourie.
Replacements: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 DeJay Terblanche, 18 Uzair Cassiem, 19 Reginald Kember, 20 Dylon Frylinck, 21 Justin van Staden, 22 Jerome Pretorius.
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 Pat Cilliers, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Neil Rautenbach, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Manuel Carizza, 19 Rohan Kitshoff, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Kurt Coleman, 22 Michael van der Spuy.
Referee: Jaco van Heerden
Assistant referees: Christie du Preez, Stefan Breytenbach
