Log-leaders DHL Western Province retained their unbeaten status in the 2014 Absa Currie Cup tournament with a hard-fought 23-18 win over the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday evening.

In a match dedicated to Motor Neuron Disease sufferers, Tinus Linee (of WP) and Joost van der Westhuizen (of the Bulls), both teams threw everything at each other in a bid to come out tops.

In the end, it was Province who emerged victorious despite the try tally ending equal at two apiece, DHL WP having scored two breathtaking tries through wingers Kobus van Wyk and Seabelo Senatla.

The visitors led 3-0 at half-time but found themselves trailing the Bulls by 6-10 with just under half an hour remaining at Loftus Versfeld – before the stunning scores from Van Wyk and Senatla.

Van Wyk finished strongly in the right-hand corner after taking a great off-load from the official Absa Currie Cup Man of the Match Senatla, the latter having come over from the left-wing after a clever move between Demetri Catrakilis and Jaco Taute.

Catrakilis kicked the tough touchline conversion and he made no mistake just two minutes later with another conversion after Senatla’s near length of the field effort from a brilliant DHL WP counter-attack.

The match ended with the Bulls on attack deep in the Province 22 – the Bulls having also scored a late try through left-wing Sampie Mastriet – but a knock-on in the visitors’ 22 saw them come away with the victory, their fourth in succession.

With the Sharks having lost away to the Pumas on Friday evening, DHL Western Province are now the only unbeaten team remaining in the 2014 Currie Cup with a four-point lead on the log over the second-placed Pumas.

DHL Western Province will host the EP Kings at DHL Newlands next Friday night (September 5), with kick-off at 19h10. (CLICK HERE for ticketing information.)

The scorers:

For the Vodacom Blue Bulls:
Tries: Du Plessis, Mastriet
Con: Schoeman
Pens: Schoeman 2

For DHL Western Province:
Tries: Van Wyk, Senatla
Cons: Catrakilis 2
Pens: Coleman 2, Catrakilis 2

The teams:

Vodacom Blue Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 William Small-Smith, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Sampie Mastriet, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Deon Stegmann (captain), 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Hencus van Wyk, 18 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Rudy Paige, 21 Tian Schoeman, 22 Ryan Nell.

DHL Western Province: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Manuel Carizza, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Stephan Coetzee, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Neil Rautenbach, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Ruan Botha, 19 Rynhardt Elstadt, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Kurt Coleman, 22 Pat Howard.

Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, Cobus Wessels
Television Match Official: Willie Vos