DHL Western Province were made to fight all the way, but the defending champions kept up their unbeaten run in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup with a 19-13 win over GWK Griquas at DHL Newlands on Friday.

Both teams scored a try each in a hard-fought encounter in rainy and wet conditions in Cape Town, with the boot of flyhalves Kurt Coleman

and Demetri Catrakilis seeing the home side through in front of a crowd of 7,206.

Scrumhalf Nic Groom scored a second-half try for DHL WP, after his team had trailed by 6-10 at half-time, with Coleman converting his score in the 50th minute and also adding three penalty goals – not missing a shot at goal for his team as he collected 11 points.

Replacement Catrakilis kicked a penalty from straight in front in the 75th minute to extend his team’s lead to six points and, in the end, WP were forced to tackle their hearts out in the face of a serious Griquas onslaught on their line right into injury-time.

Griquas made twice the amount of tackles that Province did in just over 80 minutes of action, but the home side will take the victory – their fifth of the season, to go with two draws, as they remain on top of the log in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup after six and a half rounds of action (and despite two matches still to be played this weekend).

Scrumhalf Groom walked off with the Absa Currie Cup Man of the Match Award, capping off a busy performance in trying conditions on the night.

The scorers:

For DHL Western Province:

Try: Groom
Con: Coleman
Pens: Coleman 3, Catrakilis

For GWK Griquas:
Try: Scheepers
Con: Scheepers
Pens: Brummer, Prinsloo

The teams:

DHL Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rayn Smid, 6 Rohan Kitshoff, 5 De Kock Steenkamp (captain), 4 Tazz Fuzani, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Michael Willemse, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Gerbrandt Grobler, 19 Josh Katzen, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Demetri Catrakilis, 21 Michael van der Spuy.

Griquas: 15 Gouws Prinsloo, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 Jean Stemmet, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Burger Schoeman, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Jaco Nepgen, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Ryno Barnes (captain), 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Dobson, 17 Brummer Badenhorst, 18 Patrick O’Brien, 19 RJ Liebenberg, 20 Marnus Hugo, 21 Du Randt Gerber, 22 Richard Lawson.

Referee: Lourens van der Merwe