DHL Western Province scored six tries on their way to a 38-19 pre-season win against neighbours Boland at DHL Newlands on Friday.
Head Coach Jerome Paarwater would have been encouraged by the rugby his team managed to prooduce in their first real run as a unit ahead of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.
The home side were forced to absorb some pressure early on and Boland made a determined start, but their defence held up well and kept them out.
Nico Leonard opened the scoring with an intercept try, which was quickly follwed up by another seven-pointer as a flying Seabelo Senatla got on the end of a grubber from Dan Kriel.
Hooker Chadley Wenn went over in the corner before Leonard added two more to complete a first-half hat-trick.
That saw DHL Western Province take a commanding 33-0 advantage into the break, having scored five unanswered tries in the opening 40 minutes.
Replacement hooker Shalk Erasmus went over from close range just after the break before the visitors finally hit back with a breakaway try from wing Valentino Wellman.
Paarwater rung the changes as he had a look at all of the options available on an extended bench and as a result the game became fairly disjointed towards the end.
Boland finished stronger with tries from replacements Jaiden Baron and Tiaan Heyneke, but it was not enought to avoid a 38-19 defeat.
The scorers:
For DHL WP:
Tries: Leonard 3, Senatla, Wenn, Erasmus
Cons: Van Reenen 4
For Boland:
Tries: Wellman, Baron, Heyneke
Cons: Holgate 2
DHL Western Province: 15 Craig Barry, 14 Nico Leonard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Abner van Reenen, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Marno Redelinghuys, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Diaan Koen, 5 Yaya Hartzenberg, 4 Johan du Toit, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Chadley Wenn, 1 Liam Hendricks.
Replacements: Kwenzo Blose, 17 Schalk Erasmus, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Niyaas Bam, 20, 21 Deon Karsten, 22 Sam Phiri, 23 Mujaahid ven der Hoven, 24 Aiden Topley, 25 Wilton Petersen, 26 Sihle Njezula
Boland: 15 Juandre Joseph, 14 Rowan Ranna, 13 Gavern Skippers, 12 Jordan Holgate, 11 Valentino Wellman, 10 Garrick Mattheus, 9 Gurshwin Africa, 8 Emile Booysen, 7 Patrick O’Brien, 6 Taine-Randall Booysen, 5 Johannes Janse Van Rensburg, 4 Marlyn Williams (captain), 3 Clinton Theron, 2 Francois Esterhuizen, 1 Theunis Nieuwout.
Replacements: 16 Neil Ruatenbach, 17 Clarence Van Wyk, 18 Bomba Bakeni, 19 Adriaan Ludick, 20 Therlow Marsh, 21 Ricardo Duarte, 22 Joshua Vermeulen, 23 Wilneth Engelbrecht, 24 Michain Fick, 25 Wildon Marsh, 26 Kennedy Rorwana, 27 Shilton Van Wyk, 28 Jaiden Baron , 29 Tiaan Heyneke.