Defending champions DHL Western Province will have the chance to make it a perfect season when they host the Cell C Sharks in the Currie Cup Final at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
After seven straight win this season, DHL Western Province are aiming to go unbeaten and make it a record 35 Currie Cup titles.
The action will get underway at 16h00 on Saturday, in a replay of last year’s final which saw DHL Western Province finish on top in Durban.
This time they will be on home turf at DHL Newlands as they look to add to the 40 tries they have scored this season.
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We take a look back on each match on DHL Western Province’s journey to the home final at DHL Newlands.
DHL Western Province 32-0 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
After a fruitful pre-season tour of France which saw them take on ProD2 side Narbonne and star-studded Top 14 outfit Montpellier, DHL Western Province started their title defence in the pouring rain at DHL Newlands. They faced a full-strength Toyota Free State Cheetahs side and despite the torrential rain they still managed to score four tries without conceding a single point. It was a polished performance in difficult conditions, with tries from Ruhan Nel, JD Schickerling and Scarra Ntubeni making it a convincing start to the campaign.
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iCollege Pumas 28-57 DHL Western Province
DHL Western Province were boosted by the inclusion of Wilco Louw, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Damian de Allende from the Springbok squad for their trip to Nelspruit. Having lost their fixture at Mbombela Stadium in 2017, the defending champions were switched on from the first whistle, running in eight tries on the night. Making his first start for DHL Western Province, Sergeal Petersen scored a brace in what was a comfortable victory in the end.
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Xerox Golden Lions 38-65 DHL Western Province
A second consecutive game at altitude marked the halfway stage of the league phase of the season for DHL Western Province and they produced a scintillating performance at Emirates Airline Park. Five tries in the first half and another four after half-time saw them blow the Johannesburg side away, with Petersen and Dillyn Leyds both scoring two tries each, while SP Marais scored 25 points on his own.
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DHL Western Province 38-12 Tafel Lager Griquas
DHL Western Province were back home at DHL Newlands where they scored six tries on the way to a comfortable win. Petersen grabbed a third consecutive brace of tries, with Josh Stander, Herschel Jantjies, Juarno Augustus and JJ Engelbrecht also crossing the tryline. The platform was laid by a powerful performance from the forward pack, with the likes of Notshe, Louw, Bongi Mbonambi and Damian Willemse back from Springbok duty.
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DHL Western Province 50-28 Cell C Sharks
Both teams came into this replay of last year’s final unbeaten, setting the scene for a coastal classic. The final score might make it look like a comfortable win, but does not tell the story of how DHL Western Province reponded under pressure. After racing out to a 31-7 lead, they allowed the Durban side within three points, with the match finely balanced at 31-28 with 20 minutes left. The defending champions showed their class in the final stages, shutting the visitors out to book a home semifinal with one match left before the play-offs.
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Vodacom Blue Bulls 7-34 DHL Western Province
The league phase of the Currie Cup ended as it had begun for DHL Western Province – in the pouring rain. Their North-South clash at Loftus Versfeld was shortened to just 40 minutes due to the extreme weather conditions. That did not stop the visitors from scoring four tries and picking up a bonus point though. Their scrum was dominant, led by Wilco Louw who was earning his 50th DHL Western Province cap. The one-half win saw DHL Western Province set up a replay in the semifinal at DHL Newlands the following week.
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DHL Western Province 35-32 Vodacom Blue Bulls
The semifinal at DHL Newlands was a classic, which saw DHL Western Province pushed further than they had been all season. There was no separating the teams after 80 minutes as they ended deadlocked at 32-32 to send the game into extra time. SP Marais had been on song with the boot and he would score the only three points in the 20 minutes of extra time to continue the unbeaten run and book a home Currie Cup Final at DHL Newlands.
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Make sure you do not miss out on the Currie Cup Final at DHL Newlands, which will see DHL Western Province go up against the Cell C Sharks.
Tickets will be available from all Computicket outlets, online at wprugby.computicket.com and at the stadium box office from 10h30 on Tuesday, October 23.
Only tickets bought from wprugby.computicket.com, or any Computicket outlet will be valid for this match. These are the only outlets which are licenced to sell tickets to DHL Newlands.