DHL Western Province went down 43-41 with the last kick of the game in their Carling Currie Cup encounter with Windhoek Draught Griquas in Stellenbosch on Friday.
The visitors did not have the lead for the entire match, but came from behind to claim the win, leaving DHL Western Province with two bonus points to show for their efforts.
The home side made a fast start, taking the game to the visitors from the first minute.
The first try was set-up by a strong maul from the forwards, with fullback Tristan Leyds claiming a spectacular one-handed take of flyhalf Tim Swiel’s chip kick to score.
The second try saw that maul in action once again as hooker Jacques van Zyl was driven over.
Leyds was prominent in the third try, breaking the line on a counter-attack before giving it to centre Juan de Jongh who finished to put them 21-0 up after 20 minutes.
The visitors hit back with a try of their own from centre Rynhardt Jonker, but DHL Western Province were back on the scoresheet soon afterwards as Van Zyl claimed an intercept and fed Angelo Davids who raced away to score.
The fifth try was another scintillating counter-attack, with Swiel finishing it off to make it 35-7.
Windhoek Draught Griquas stayed in the contest with two tries late in the first half, but DHL Western Province still took a commanding 35-19 lead into the break.
DHL Western Province scores the first points of the second half with the first penalty of the match from Swiel and he added another soon afterwards to make it 41-19.
DHL Western Province were down to 14 when prop Ali Vermaak was shown a yellow card for playing a man off the ball and Windhoek Draught Griquas scored from the resulting maul.
They used the extra man to score again, with wing Luther Obi getting outside the defence to make it 41-31 heading into the last 10 minutes.
The Kimberley side got one more maul try three minutes from the end and added to that with Obi’s second, with Whitehead’s conversion sealing the win.
The scorers:
For DHL WP:
Tries: Leyds, Van Zyl, de Jongh, Davids, Swiel
Cons: Swiel 5
Pens: Swiel 2
For Windhoek Draught Griquas:
Tries: Jonker, Xamlashe, Hartzenberg, Uys, Obi 2, Hanru
Cons: Whitehead 3
DHL Western Province: 15 Tristan Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Timothy Swiel (captain), 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Keke Morabe, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 Ben-Jason Dixon, 4 Simon Miller, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Jacques van Zyl, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Shaine Orderson, 21 Bobby Alexander, 22 Mambo Mkhize, 23 Ebenezer Tshimanga.