WP put off-field woes aside to beat Pumas at Newlands

Western Province ground out a 28-14 win over the Pumas at Newlands on Friday to pick up their first win of the Currie Cup tournament.

READ | Ex-Bulls high performance manager jailed

It’s been a tough week for WP Rugby off the field of play.

Read all about their woes HERE.

HALF-TIME CHAT DID THE TRICK

The first half was a rather forgettable affair as WP took a 8-5 lead into the break.

Coach John Dobson’s half-time chat did the trick as two quick tries opened up a healthy lead for the home side.

And a try in the dying minutes by Steven Kitshoff gave WP a bonus-point win.

WP’s win saw them move into second place in the log, albeit having played one match more – and two in some cases – than the other sides in contention for playoff spots.

The Pumas left empty-handed and are for all intents and purposes out the running for the semi-finals.

SCORERS:

Western Province

Tries: Scarra Ntubeni (2), Angelo Davids, Steven Kitshoff

Conversion: Kade Wolhuter

Penalties: Wolhuter (2)

Pumas

Tries: Erich Cronje

Penalties: Devon Williams (3)

TEAMS:

Western Province

15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Michal Haznar, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Tristan Leyds, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Jaco Coetzee, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 David Meihuizen, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Kwenzo Blose, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Johan du Toit, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Kade Wolhuter, 23 Dan du Plessis

Pumas

15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Luther Obi, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Ruwellyn Isbell, 10 Tiaan Botes, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Darrien Landsberg, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Pieter Jansen van Vuren (captain), 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Morgan Naude

Substitutes: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Wikus Groenewald, 18 Brandon Valentyn, 19 Ewart Potgieter, 20 Ginter Smuts, 21 Devon Williams, 22 Japie Kleinhans, 23 Liam Hendricks