The DHL Western Province Under-21 team made it a 2015 Absa Provincial Under-21 season double over the Blue Bulls with a comprehensive 48-22 win at DHL Newlands on Friday.
Having beaten the Bulls by 51-22 in Pretoria during late August, the pressure was always going to be on Robbie Fleck’s side to repeat that performance.
Well, they sure repeated it as they romped to a seven try to two victory over their archrivals, having initially trailed by 0-5, before leading 27-17 at half-time.
Their second-half performance, however, was a top effort as they not only racked up three more tries but they also conceded just five points – despite finishing the match with 14 men after speedster Leolin Zas was red-carded for a dangerous tackle.
Zas had earlier scored one of his team’s four first-half tries, vice-captain Ryno Eksteen rounding off their first 40 points with a brilliant individual try which secured the four-try bonus point.
Scrumhalf Justin Phillips scored a good try double in the second half, with lanky outside centre EW Viljoen rounding off his team’s scoring spree in the 69th minute with a strong finish in the left-hand corner.
Flyhalf Ernst Stapelberg, a late replacement for Brandon Thomson (who has not shaken off his hip pointer injury), converted four tries and added one penalty goal, with Eksteen converting Viljoen’s try from the touchline.
The DHL WP Under-21s – who have now scored 47 tries in just 10 games – have a bye next weekend before travelling to Johannesburg the following week to face the Golden Lions Under-21s.
The scorers:
For DHL Western Province Under-21:
Tries: Hermanus, Zas, Van der Merwe, Eksteen, Phillips 2, Viljoen
Cons: Stapelberg 4, Eksteen
Pens: Stapelberg
For Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-21:
Tries: September, Mxoli, Marais, Viljoen
Con: Marais
The teams:
DHL Western Province Under-21: 15 Grant Hermanus, 14 Khanyo Ngcukana, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Ryno Eksteen (vice-captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Ernst Stapelberg, 9 Justin Phillips, 8 Rikus Bothma (captain), 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Luke Stringer, 5 David Ribbans, 4 Kobus van Dyk, 3 Frans van Wyk, 2 Martin Wipplinger, 1 Wesley Adonis.
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Liam Hendricks, 18 Devon Nash, 19 Christo van der Merwe, 20 SP Ferreira, 21 Jarryd Sage, 22 Sibahle Maxwane.
Blue Bulls Under-21: 15 Dewald Human, 14 Keanon van Wyk, 13 Marquit September, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Kobus Marais, 9 Theo Maree, 8 Heinrich Viljoen, 7 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (captain), 6 Chris Massyn, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Nqobisizwe Mxoli.
Replacements: 16 Arno van Wyk, 17 Stefaan Grundelingh, 18 Riekert Hattingh, 19 Corne Cooper, 20 JP Smith, 21 Philip Orffer, 22 Adrian Maebane.
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
