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Valuable hit-out for DHL WP in Wellington

PUBLISHED: March 24, 2017


DHL Western Province had a valuable hit-out as a unit in their pre-season training match against the Boland Cavaliers at Boland Stadium in Wellington on Friday.

DHL Western Province had a valuable hit-out as a unit in their pre-season training match against the Boland Cavaliers at Boland Stadium in Wellington on Friday.

The youthful 30-man squad, which included 10 club players, were exposed to full match intensity and secured a 24-12 victory against a competitive Boland outfit as part of their preparations for the Supersport Rugby Challenge.

The next assignment for DHL Western Province will be a friendly game against the Steval Pumas which will be a curtain-raiser for the Vodacom Super Rugby clash between the DHL Stormers and the Toyota Cheetahs at DHL Newlands on Saturday, April 1.

Both sides scored two tries each in a hard-fought first half which saw DHL Western Province enjoy the majority of the territory and possession in the opening stages.

Hooker Chad Solomon opened the scoring from a driving maul and a dominant scrum was eventually rewarded with a penalty try, whilst Boland managed to cross the tryline twice themselves in the first half to leave the teams deadlocked at 12-12 at the half-time break.

The second half saw some more resolute defence from both teams, which made scoring chances scarce, but tries from No.8 Conway Pretorius and replacement hooker Dean Muir saw DHL Western Province claim a 24-12 victory in the end.

Coach Dawie Snyman said that the training match gave him a great chance to look at the considerable talent at his disposal as they prepare themselves for the Supersport Rugby Challenge campaign that lies ahead.

“We had a good blend of young stars and quality club players out there today as we continue the process of moulding them into a team.

“We were up against a tough Boland side and they provided the intensity we were looking for that you just can’t recreate on the training pitch,” he said.

The DHL Western Province coach added that the match gave him some valuable insights into where his squad are at ahead of their friendly against the Steval Pumas next week.

“We were satisfied with the efforts out there, but now we need to sharpen things up to ensure we are able to hit the ground running when the Supersport Rugby Challenge starts on April 25,” said Snyman.