The Blue Bulls are rapidly seeing another forgettable year getting washed down the drain as their final round-robin Currie Cup match of the year was abandoned with Western Province claiming the spoils as they were already enjoying a commanding 34-7 lead at halftime at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.
Kickoff was delayed by 20 minutes as a torrential downpour, and lightning, hit Loftus Versfeld just before the start, and steady rain continued through a first half in which the Bulls made some comical errors as their decision-making in the wet defied belief at times, and Western Province played some awesome rugby.
Then, during the halftime break, lightning and heavy rain returned and the officials made the decision to abandon the game.
Both sides would have been content as Western Province had already secured, through a bonus point for tries, first place on the log and a home final if they beat the battered Blue Bulls at Newlands in next weekend’s semi-final.
The Bulls were probably just happy to avoid further punishment before their last chance to salvage something from their year next weekend.
Who was the star in this match?
Tighthead prop Wilco Louw was the most influential player on the field as, returning to the union who discarded him as a junior, he led the Western Province scrum in absolutely destroying their Blue Bulls counterparts. In the muddy conditions, there was nowhere to hide for outscrummed Bulls forwards, and in practically every scrum they were sliding backwards and landing in a heap.
Key moments and themes
Dyk scored off a dominant scrum, charging wing Sergeal Petersen profited from De Beer not being able to gather a kick ahead cleanly, and loose forward Jaco Coetzee burst through the middle of a rolling maul.
Scorers
Western Province – Tries: Penalty try, Kobus van Dyk, Sergeal Petersen, Jaco Coetzee. Conversions: SP Marais (3). Penalties: Marais (2).
Blue Bulls – Try: Ruan Steenkamp. Conversion: Tinus de Beer.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.