Province trounce hapless Bulls
Western Province secured an emphatic 35-7 victory over bitter rivals the Blue Bulls in an ill-tempered clash at Newlands on Saturday.
Western Province secured an emphatic 35-7 victory over bitter rivals the Blue Bulls in an ill-tempered clash at Newlands on Saturday.
It was a match that failed to delivery on the usual hype of the North-South derby, with the contest dominated by aimless kicking and countless handling errors.
In a scrappy first half for both teams it was Western Province who made the most of their opportunities, punishing the visitors for their ill-discipline with two tries from broken play and three penalties from the boot of fly-half Demetri Catrakilis.
Captain Tiaan Liebenberg laid down an early marker for the home side with a try inside the first six minutes, bursting down the touchline before smashing through the last defender on his way over in the right-hand corner.
Then, midway through the half, the Cape side extended their lead thanks to a break from JJ Englebrecht – signed by the Bulls for next season – after an up-and-under had been allowed to bounce. Englebrecht streaked down the wing before laying a pass inside for Danie Poolman to dot down under the poles.
The Bulls made an attempt to fight their way back into the contest towards the end of the half – turning over an opposition line-out before centre Stefan Watermeyer stretched out to plant the ball on the whitewash after concerted pressure on the Province line.
The visitors momentum however was quickly snuffed out after yet another penalty allowed Catrakilis three more points to put Province into a 21-7 lead at the break.
The second period continued to lack the fluency expected from two of the usually more fancied Currie Cup outfits, with no points scored in the first 20-minutes of the half and both teams' frustrations boiling over in petty off-the-ball squables.
Then, in the 62nd minute, number eight Nick Koster broke the points-drought, showing off his abundant pace to outstrip the Bulls defence and put the result beyond doubt. Dewaldt Duvenage would dot down for the bonus point with seven minutes remaining and Catrakilis capped a solid kicking display with his third conversion to go with his three first-half penalty kicks.