DHL Western Province scored five tries to beat Zimbabwe Academy 33-15 at DHL Newlands on Saturday and make it four straight SuperSport Rugby Challenge wins this season.
It was a convincing performance from the home side, in what was their first home game of the campaign, played as a curtain-raiser for the Vodacom Super Rugby encounter between the DHL Stormers and the Crusaders at DHL Newlands.
After absorbing some early pressure with committed defence, the hosts scored with their first attacking foray, as hooker Chad Solomon burst through.
The visitors responded with a penalty from flyhalf and captain Brendon Mandivenga from right in front after the forwards had gone close, but thos were to be their only points of the first half.
DHL Western Province enjoyed a huge advantage at scrum-time, but their second try came as a result of a Zimbabwe Academy maul, with scrumhalf Godlen Masimla ripping the ball away and sprinting down the left touchline to score.
The third try came just before the break, with flank Johan du Toit crashing over after a maul to make it 19-3 at half-time.
Masimla got his second try after 10 minutes in the second half, showing good pace to finish in the corner after getting an offload from wing Edwill van der Merwe who had split the defence open with a weaving run.
Zimbabwe Academy eventually won another penalty which was kicked by Mandivenga, but the home side hit back with another try.
Another powerful scrum laid the platform for the fifth DHL Western Province try as it was sent wide to Van der Merwe, who put s defneder on the ground before accelerating away for a deserved try.
Zimbabwe Academy got a late intercept try, but it was not enough to avoid a heavy defeat in the end.
The scorers:
For DHL WP:
Tries: Solomon, Masimla 2, Du Toit, van der Merwe
Cons: Van Reenen 4
DHL Western Province: 15 Craig Barry (captain), 14 Sihle Njezula, 13 David Brits, 12 Lyle Hendricks, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Abner van Reenen, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Marno Redelinghuys, 7 Brandon Valentyn, 6 Johan du Toit, 5 David Meihuizen, 4 Jordan Sesink-Clee, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 Liam Hendricks.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Erasmus, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Curtly Thomas, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Niyaas Johnson, 21 Cornel Smit, 22 Quan Eyman.
