Dominant Western Province snap up another Currie Cup title

Western Province have never really had a problem churning out wins at Kings Park and did so again with an excellent 33-21 victory over the Sharks on Saturday afternoon.

Naturally – and more importantly – it means the Capetonians are Currie Cup champions again for the first time since 2014.

It was a splendid effort from John Dobson’s troops, who came back from a 11-point deficit to eventually make their general dominance count.

For the Durbanites, there will be big disappointment as they thoroughly set the tone in this year’s campaign but were harshly reminded that in a final previous form doesn’t always count.

Who was the star in this match?

Scottish centre Huw Jones said goodbye to the Streeptruie with a fine attacking performance, while upcoming Springbok tighthead Wilco Louw was outstanding in the scrums and tough on defence. Yet it was the all-round performance of Nizaam Carr that stole the show. The No 8 has been revitalised in the Currie Cup and did everything right in this match. It was his vision that led to Cobus Wiese’s vital try.

Key moments and themes

• Surprisingly but not entirely unexpected, the Sharks were rarely on the front foot in this game. Over the past few weeks they have been a side that have relied on their own counterattacking abilities and don’t always create play. However, centre Marius Louw gave them a great start with a brilliant break that saw veteran Odwa Ndungane score in his last game before retirement. From there on, they tried to exploit Province’s mistakes and it worked for most of the first half.
• In what was perhaps a sign of things to come, the Sharks were shredded in the scrums, consistently backtracking as Province’s monstrous pack flexed their muscles. It meant they rarely had a platform to work from. In contrast, the visitors flourished.
• It might be a cliché but wing Dillyn Leyds’ try on the stroke of half-time was a massive turning point. It was down to a superb basketball-like pass by fullback Damian Willemse and meant Province went into the break just 15-21 behind. That was the momentum they needed when they changed sides.
• Province were all over the home side in the second half, hardly giving them an inch and dominating both possession and territory. It was rather ironic that a scrum that the Sharks did dominate turned into the match-winning try. Carr brilliantly adapted to the scrum going backwards, chose a fine running line and off-loaded to Wiese. It was a fantastic piece of vision.
• The Sharks lost flank Jean-Luc du Preez midway in the first half with an ankle injury. It cost them in the collisions and is also bad news for the Springboks. It seems likely he’ll have to miss the European tour.

Point scorers

Western Province – Tries: Huw Jones (2), Dillyn Leyds, Cobus Wiese. Conversions: Robert du Preez (2). Penalties: Du Preez (3).

Sharks – Tries: Odwa Ndungane, Dan du Preez. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalties: Bosch (2). Drop goal: Bosch.

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.