DHL Western Province went down 13-26 to the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Absa Currie Cup action in Pretoria on Friday night.

Flyhalf Louis Fouche opened the scoring for the Bulls, after DHL WP were penalised at the breakdown in the third minute.

The Bulls came close to scoring the opening try minutes later, but returning Springbok Bjorn Basson’s try was overruled by the TMO – who ruled that a pass to fullback Jurgen Visser just outside the 22 was forward.

DHL WP flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis had a chance to level matters, when the Bulls were pinged for off-side, but his attempt drifted wide of the upright.

With the Bulls’ scrum under pressure, and penalised on a couple of occasions in the first quarter, Province managed to work themselves back into the game.

The next scoring opportunity came just short of the half-hour mark, when the Bulls took the ball through multiple phases just outside the WP 22 – who were eventually found to have transgressed at the breakdown. Fouche made it 6-0. The Bulls then made it 11-0 when winger Akona Ndugane touched down for the hosts.

Catrakilis eventually opened the account for WP right on the half-time hooter, a penalty for a line-out transgression – to make it 3-11 at the break.

The return of the players from the break brought with it the news that DHL WP loose forward Tyrone Homes had suffered a fractured nose and would not return to the playing field and Fouche soon got the three points back, almost against the run of play, when Province were penalised.

Then the Bulls were pinged for sacking a maul too late, allowing Catrakilis to make it an eight-point (6-14) game again, but immediately from the restart WP were penalised and Fouche returned the favour to make it 6-17 and then, later, 6-20.

DHL Western Province, now getting much more possession, tried desperately to get back into the game, but still turned over possession at key moments which allowed the Bulls to punish them with counters.

The possession and territory started to count for Province and with just over ten minutes left on the clock the referee awarded a penalty try after repeated maul collapses near the Bulls’ line. Catrakilis added the conversion to make it a seven-point game (13-20).

However, with eight minutes remaining Fouche kicked another goal to make it 13-23. That then became 13-26 in the 79th minute.

Province now threw everything into gaining a losing bonus point, taking the ball through multiple phases, but they turned possession over inside the Bulls’ 22 and, unfortunately, left Loftus with nothing to show for their efforts.

The result saw the Bulls move off the bottom of the log, whilst DHL WP remained in third place for the time being – still in contention for a semifinal place in the 2012 Absa Currie Cup.

The scorers:

For the Vodacom Blue Bulls:
Try: A Ndungane
Pens: Fouche 7

For DHL Western Province:
Try: Penalty Try
Con: Catrakilis
Pens: Catrakilis 2