DHL Western Province claimed a hard-fought 21-18 win over the Eastern Province Kings in their final pre-season hit-out ahead of the start of the 2015 Absa Currie Cup tournament.

It was another useful pre-season hit-out for the defending Absa Currie Cup champions, a young DHL WP XV selection having played against a hardened Pumas team in Drakenstein last weekend.

DHL Western Province’s tries were scored by outside backs Kobus van Wyk, Seabelo Senatla and Juan de Jongh – two in the first half (Van Wyk and Senatla) and De Jongh’s in the second half via a Kurt Coleman kick ahead.

Province led by 14-13 at half-time, before making the game safe early in the second half, which allowed new coach John Dobson to make a flurry of substitutions as all members of the 13-man bench got a run.

At one stage just Ruan Botha, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Jean de Villiers remained from the starting team, with Notshe and De Villiers playing the full eighty minutes.

Coach Dobson mixed up his halfback pairings, giving the combinations of Nic Groom and Demetri Catrakilis and Jano Vermaak and Kurt Coleman both forty minutes each.

Meanwhile, in late team news ahead of the game, prop Oli Kebble was an 11th hour withdrawal after coming down with a cold. Ali Vermaak started the game at loosehead prop, with Sti Sithole coming on to the bench.

DHL Western Province will open their Absa Currie Cup title defence on Friday, August 7 against Griquas – the winners of the 2015 Qualifying Tournament.

The scorers:

For the Eastern Province Kings:
Tries: Van Dyk, Obi
Con: Van Breda
Pens: Van Breda 2

For DHL Western Province:
Tries: Van Wyk, Senatla, De Jongh
Cons: Catrakilis 2, Coleman

The teams:

EP Kings: 15 Scott van Breda, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Marlou van Niekerk, 11 Luther Obi, 10 George Whitehead (vice-captain), 9 Enrico Acker, 8 Tim Agaba, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Cornell Hess, 4 Steven Sykes (captain), 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Martin Ferreira, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements (from): Albe de Swardt, Simon Kerrod, Tazz Fuzani, Jacques Engelbrecht, Luke Watson, Cameron Lindsay, Kevin Luiters, Karlo Aspeling, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Ronnie Cooke, Tim Whitehead.

DHL Western Province: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Nizaam Carr (vice-captain), 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Rynhardt Elstadt, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Entienne Swanepoel, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements (from): 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Justin Benn, 21 Rayn Smid, 22 Jano Vermaak, 23 Kurt Coleman, 24 Jaco Taute, 25 Huw Jones, 26 Godlen Masimla, 27 EW Viljoen, 28 Jan de Klerk.

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Lourens van der Merwe, Local