Share

WP teach Sharks a lesson

Cape Town - Poor handling cost Western Province a bonus point as they dispatched the Sharks 25-19 in their Currie Cup clash at Newlands on Saturday.

WP outplayed the Sharks in all departments in the encounter, but were left to rue crucial knock-ons which denied them a fourth try late in the game.

The hosts produced a top performance in the opening minutes as their dashing ball-in-hand forays into Sharks territory took the visitors by surprise.

The effort should have fired WP into a 10-point lead after four minutes, but a try by left wing Cheslin Kolbe's was disallowed after TV replay footage showed his foot brushed the touchline in the try-scoring process, while he was rushed by the Sharks' cover defence.

Instead WP had to settle for slim pickings via a second-minute Kurt Coleman penalty (3-0).

But WP came good 13 minutes later when Juan de Jongh dotted down, and this time the TMO could not find fault with the effort. Coleman's was unable to extend his side's lead further with the attempted conversion (8-0).

The 19 000-strong crowd in the chilly stadium warmed to the fare as WP continued to run to ball at almost every opportunity to sustain the pressure on the Sharks.

Kolbe's second try-scoring effort in the 22nd minute was legitimate, and this time Coleman slotted his goal attempt to give WP a 15-0 lead.

Two minutes after the interval, Coleman increased WP's lead with a penalty as the home side were again off to a spirited start as the Sharks found themselves under the whip for a period of 15 minutes.

They managed to absorb the pressure by keeping their defensive lines intact and they fought back with an unconverted Lwazi Mvovo try in the 57th minute (18-5).

Just before the hour mark, fullback Gio Aplon tip-toed his way through the Sharks defence, leaving some four defenders floundering in his slipstream before he ran in to score next to the posts. Substitute flyhalf Gary van Aswegen goaled to give WP a commanding 25-5 lead.

The Sharks found their way into the game, while the hosts struggled to regain control.

The Sharks used the opportunity to drive up the middle and finish with a try from Jacques Botes, and substitute Fred Zeilinga rounded off the seven-point spurt (25-12).

It was all WP in the closing minutes as they went off in search of a bonus-point try but their best efforts were undone by their own shortcomings.

Against the run of play, two minutes after the hooter sounded, Sharks substitute Kyle Cooper scored a converted try which allowed the visitors to snatch a bonus point (25-19).

Scorers:

WP


Tries: Juan de Jongh, Cheslin Kolbe, Gio Aplon
Penalties: Kurt Coleman (2)
Conversions, Coleman, Gary van Aswegen

Sharks:

Tries: Lwazi Mvovo, Jacques Botes, Kyle Cooper
Conversion: Fred Zeilinga (2)

Teams:

Western Province

15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Louis Schreuder 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Michael Rhodes, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Gerbrandt Grobler, 19 Rohan Kitshoff, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Gary van Aswegen, 22 Michael van der Spuy

Sharks

15. SP Marais, 14. Sizo Maseko, 13. Louis Ludik, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Butch James, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Jacques Botes (captain), 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Keegan Daniel, 5. Marco Wentzel, 4. Peet Marais, 3. Rayno Gerber, 2. Craig Burden, 1. Danie Mienie

Substitutes: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Edwin Hewitt, 19. Justin Downey, 20. Charl McLeod, 21. Fred Zeilinga, 22. Jaco van Tonder
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1155 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1337 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2041 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE