The DHL Western Province Vodacom Cup team kept up their unbeaten run in the 2015 tournament with a brilliant 21-14 win over a strong Griquas side in Kimberley.
The win, their fifth in succession this season, means that DHL WP remain in first place on the log as the only unbeaten team in the South Section of the Vodacom Cup.
DHL WP were down by 3-6 at half-time, before also trailing by 3-9 early in the second half at Hoërskool Diamantveld as the two teams initially traded penalty goals.
However, second-half tries by backs EW Viljoen and Kyle Lombard – coupled with accurate goalkicking from flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis – saw DHL WP record this valuable away win over their in-form and more experienced opponents.
DHL Western Province led by 18-9 going into the final five minutes of the match, before Griquas scored a late try (through hooker Martin Bezuidenhout) – only for Du Plessis to add another penalty to extend the visitors’ lead with time running out.
“They bullied us a bit in initially, but I thought we recovered very well to trail by just 3-6 at half-time and I thought we had the upper-hand in the second half, especially in the final quarter,” said a pleased DHL WP coach, John Dobson.
“I’m over the moon with the win – to beat a near-Absa Currie Cup Griquas team in Kimberley is a very good result.”
Province will travel to Bloemfontein next weekend to take on the Free State Cheetahs XV in their sixth match of 2015.
The scorers:
For Griquas:
Try: Bezuidenhout
Pens: Prinsloo 3
For DHL Western Province:
Tries: Viljoen, Lombard
Con: J du Plessis
Pens: J du Plessis 3
The teams:
Griquas: 15 Gouws Prinsloo, 14 Ntabeni Dukisa, 13 PJ Vermeulen, 12 Jonathan Francke, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer (captain), 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Jono Janse van Rensburg, 7 RJ Liebenberg, 6 Wendal Wehr, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Stephan Greeff, 3 Stephan Kotze, 2 AJ Le Roux, 1 Wiseman Kamanga.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Steph Roberts, 18 Stephan Malan, 19 Sidney Tobias, 20 Abraham Griesel, 21 Clinton Swart, 22 Ederies Arendse.
DHL Western Province: 15 Garth April, 14 Tshotsho Mbovane, 13 Kyle Lombard, 12 Robert du Preez, 11 Mat Turner, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Rayn Smid, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Chris van Zyl, 4 Jan de Klerk, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Michael Willemse (captain), 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Charlton van Jaarsveld, 17 Deacon Chowles, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Justin Benn, 20 SP Ferreira, 21 EW Viljoen, 22 Willy Ambaka.
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Jaco Kotze, Local
