Potent Province power to glory
27 Oct 2012
GARETH DUNCAN watched Western Province break their 11-year Currie Cup drought with a famous 25-18 final win over the Sharks at Kings Park.
Everyone loves an underdog story. And this match was one of the greats in South African domestic rugby.
The pre-match odds laid heavily in the Sharks’ favour. They had home-ground advantage, the strongest pack of the competition and the best team on paper, one loaded with Springboks. The Sharks had the confidence of beating the Stormers and WP four out of five fixtures earlier in the season, and they never lost to a South African team in Durban all year. The stats also proved they were the best attacking and defensive side of the Currie Cup.
However, what stats can’t measure is heart, mettle and determination. And WP, who were missing the likes of Jean de Villiers, Andries Bekker, Tiaan Liebenberg, Siya Kolisi and Schalk Burger, had bucket loads of this on the day.
The Sharks started off strongly and created several try-scoring opportunities, but they unraveled against a gritty WP outfit that failed to tire. The men from the Cape might have come off second best at the collisions and scrums for most parts of the match, but their breakdown assault, superior lineout efficiency and accurate tactical kicking game was crucial in their surprising triumph.
Man of the Match Deon Fourie was a star at openside flank, while Eben Etzebeth, Juan de Jongh and Demetri Catrakilis also deserve special mentions for their individual contributions in a top team performance.
But it took a while for the visitors’ ascendancy to emerge.
The opening quarter was dominated by the Sharks, who exposed the usually resilient Province defence on several occasions. Conversely, the hosts’ guard was resolute.
If it wasn’t for a sensational cover tackle from Bryan Habana, which denied opposite number JP Pietersen a clear run to the whitewash in the seventh minute, the Sharks would’ve held a comfortable lead.
However, Habana’s moment of defensive brilliance came with a sacrifice. The Springbok speedster struggled to gather to his feet after that hit and was taken off the field moments later because of a knee injury. Big blow for Province, and to those who were hoping to see more from the face-off between the two in-form wings.
While the Sharks were denied try opportunities, flyhalf Pat Lambie punished most of the penalties the visitors conceded. The 22-year-old found the target on four occasions to give the Sharks a 12-3 lead by the half-hour mark. Catrakilis nailed one three-pointer during this period.
Then came the unexpected Province fightback.
The biggest damage was done by Juan de Jongh, who executed a telling break shortly after Joe Pietersen’s 32nd-minute penalty.
From a scrum in centre field, the outside centre ran a perfect angle off Catrakilis to expose a gap in the Sharks’ defensive line. His explosiveness saw him beat three defenders in Keegan Daniel, Marcell Coetzee and Lwazi Mvovo on his way to the chalk. Catrakilis converted.
The pivot also added his second penalty on the stroke of half-time, which saw WP lead 16-12 at the break.
The Sharks regained the ascendancy in the second stanza and jumped back into the lead thanks to Lambie’s fifth and sixth penalties.
But Catrakilis landed three vital shots at goal thereafter. First a penalty to regain the lead, which was their only reward after applying relentless pressure on attack against a solid Sharks defence in the opposition’s red zone. Then he nailed two drop goals to add to the buffer. The second drop goal was an important score as it forced the hosts to search for a converted try in order to level the scores.
The Sharks created late drama as Louis Ludik broke down the sideline during the closing stages, with Charl McLeod on his outside. He only had Pietersen to beat, but he passed the ball too early and the defender guessed right to tackle McLeod. The reserve scrumhalf then tried to offload to Lambie, but he lost the ball in contact.
The Sharks also won possession after the final hooter, but again, they lost the ball in contact – this time 10m from the tryline.
Province held on to complete an excellent victory. What an amazing underdog story.
1,055 Comments
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28 Oct 2012, 11:00 am
@I am a stormer-889:
Good.
28 Oct 2012, 11:00 am
@Fern-896:
I forgot about that. Good for you. I blame it on the hangover.
28 Oct 2012, 11:03 am
@I am a stormer-902:
No problem,me and Puma are cut from the same cloth:-)
28 Oct 2012, 11:06 am
@Fern-903:
Yeah right.
28 Oct 2012, 11:10 am
@Fern-903:
You are not fit to wipe puma’s arsse.
28 Oct 2012, 11:11 am
actually,………………………………………….let me rephrase that.
You are only fit to wipe puma’s arrse.
28 Oct 2012, 11:11 am
Handsome reword I scooped, mainly from the UK betting house whose odds funny enough were higher on the Sharks than the S. Africans counterparts
The two heroes of the final will be well rewarded; Peyper by his employers and Mvovo by HM
My ‘reward’ will go to the SPCA and my old school, two great institutions!
28 Oct 2012, 11:12 am
Cane,he said we were cut from the same cloth.
28 Oct 2012, 11:16 am
@Fern-908:
He was mistaken.
28 Oct 2012, 11:16 am
@Fern-908:
No I didn’t.
You will need to say a 1,000 hail mary’s before you can be mentioned in the same sentence as Puma.
28 Oct 2012, 11:17 am
Stormers will have so many good players next year. AC has to manage them well.
I’d pick
1 Kitshoff
2 Liebenberg
3 Malherbe
4 Etzebeth
5 Bekker
6 Burger
7 Kolisi
8 Vermeulen
9 Duvenage
10 Jantjies
11 Habana
12 JdV
13 JdJ
14 Van Der Heever
15 Taute
16 Ntubeni
17 Brok
18 Micheal Rhodes
19 Deon Fourie
20 Groom
21 Peter Grant
22 Aplon
28 Oct 2012, 11:17 am
Puma said that me and him are cut from the same cloth.
28 Oct 2012, 11:18 am
@Hondo-907: You saying Peyper blew against the Sharks?
28 Oct 2012, 11:19 am
Rhycatcher, bluebottle, rainbow banana, Hondo, assessing, ‘jet jungle (HG?) treehugger, RL, and a few others thanks for sticking around a bit and taking it from us last night. Sorry if we went a bit over the top, but respect to you for having the huevos
28 Oct 2012, 11:19 am
@Caper-911: Why on Earth would you pick Duvenage… Or V D Heever over Aplon? Also no Elstadt in your team.
Try again.
28 Oct 2012, 11:20 am
I can’t wait for Mark Keohane’s piece of prose tomorrow.
I think he’s on his 3rd re-write as we speak. And the deadline is creeping closer.
28 Oct 2012, 11:21 am
@Fern-912:
Then he lied.
28 Oct 2012, 11:24 am
Two highlights for me:
1. Siya Kolisi’s break through the Bulls defence at Loftus
2. JdJ’s handoff of Daniels and sidestepping Mvovu
Priceless both…
28 Oct 2012, 11:24 am
@Bagsy: hondo is senile…
28 Oct 2012, 11:26 am
For those who disparage Catrakilis – he seems to be developing well and I would not be surprised if he was not a Springbok in a couple of years time. His only problem will be if the KIngs get thrashed by everyone.
28 Oct 2012, 11:28 am
@Gumboots-918:
42- 6 against the Bulls at Newlands was also special. JJ Engelbrecht and Sadie returning for a one lekka serving of humble pie.
28 Oct 2012, 11:31 am
@wp_boytjie-921:
The away games were special wins, but yes that one was lekka too.
28 Oct 2012, 11:32 am
@papashanga-920:
He wasn’t great at the beginning. It was a massive occasion for everyone and the nerves got involved.
But we will all have to wait a long time before you see 2 drop goals in a match. 1st with the right. 2nd with the left. That is how much he grew in confidence as the game wore on.
28 Oct 2012, 11:33 am
@Transformation-919: I actually wonder whether he’s not just a troll.
HG certainly is, and the more I read Skops latest posts the more I think he’s also just a troll.
TROLL: “Just here to piss people off and have fun creating an imaginary personality.”
Like Hondo’s racism… It’s not the same as the usual bunch, more just for a reaction it seems.
28 Oct 2012, 11:42 am
Sorry its probably been asked and answered a million times, but could someone tell me when the squad announcement is, and will it be broadcasted?
28 Oct 2012, 11:43 am
@Jeez-925: 2:00pm, and I’m pretty sure it’s being broadcasted.
What will be the fate of Morne…
28 Oct 2012, 11:48 am
@Bagel-926:
He’ll be there.
28 Oct 2012, 11:49 am
@Jeez-925:
Ja 14:00 on Supersport Blitz SS200
28 Oct 2012, 11:49 am
@Bagel-926: Thanks. A squad announcement without Morne Steyn’s name will restore some faith in HM imo.
If he does pick MS it will be clear that he is unwilling to learn from his mistakes and that he is unwilling to put his faith in players who he doesnt know that well (Lambie and Jantjies) and this hardheadedness does not bode well for the boks future…
28 Oct 2012, 11:53 am
@Jeez-929:
He’ll justify it by the bemoaning the lack of senior backline players. Especially if Jean and Brian are injured.
28 Oct 2012, 11:54 am
What I dont understand so many of you here make as if you know rugby , when last did South Africa have a center than can step and have such a beautiful balance whiles doing it. We only have bashers like Jaque ,Steyn an Dvilliers.De Jong is a gem he needs to be given opportunities to grow ,his a talent that can win games for us.His strong and can defend. The centers of the Sharks are in the same mode as A.Jacobs wonderful an skillfull players but will be shown up in defense.
K.Daniels is another who I admire but he has shown again that when games are tough upfront he strugggles, a bit like Bob Skinstad , I c him nomore than just an impact player.
P.Lambie is the answer for now at Flyhalf but needs to work at his game as HE DOES get botherred by the pressure.He made a few mistakes an from what I can c from this site , people are making to much of him as a player.
28 Oct 2012, 11:57 am
@David-930: He’d have only himself to blame. JdJ has been around the block for the last 3 rugby seasons, for example. There is enough personal to do the business in Europe without resorting to Morne as the starting flyhalf, the same Morne who has normally failed up north.
28 Oct 2012, 11:58 am
@honest79-931: Lambie needs someone like JdJ outside him.
28 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm
@mikeybrass-932: Juan had an average S15 (so did the entire Stormers backline bar Habana) so when Heyneke didn’t pick then ja no fine. But who does he pick instead?
JJ Engelbregt who is hopeless at 13 and then Jaco Taute an exceptionally promising but raw FULLBACK.
Heyneke must be credited with coaching a very effective and competitive forward pack despite injuries but he clearly has no farking clue how to select or run a backline and it seems his assistant coach is just a ‘yes man’.
A backline specialist needs to come in asap and the selection of real centers. It’s dispicable how Heyneke is so arrogant to just tell a player where he should play, ala those 13′s and Lambie at Fullback.
Also anyone remember Derrick Kuhn? Amazing flank, then Heyneke says, eish we lack depth at hooker, you go play there. Where is he now?
28 Oct 2012, 12:04 pm
I still want to hear Brigadier s take on JDJ….
28 Oct 2012, 12:07 pm
Hope Reinach and Ludik are included in HM’s squad.
28 Oct 2012, 12:09 pm
@Jeraldjay-936:
I don’t think so though!
28 Oct 2012, 12:11 pm
Lambie = Catrakillis, same level player = same level of potential, = middle of the road no great shakes, = Elton Jantjies also middle of the road no great shakes
SA still don’t have a strong international candidate for fly half, Goosen perhaps but his brittle bones are a major problem.
Develop Schreuder as a fly half, and try players like Willie Le Roux, Andries Coetsee and even Joe Pietersen. Maybe Fouche at Bulls or Pollard to come. But in Lambie, Catrakillis and Jantjies its just more middle of the road mediocrity though its still 1000 times better than the pathetic backward uselessness of Morne Steyn
28 Oct 2012, 12:11 pm
@honest79-931: Agreed with you on De Jong. He made a mockery of Meyers previous selections.
28 Oct 2012, 12:13 pm
@Jeraldjay-936: are you serious? Reinach??? please the kid hasnt even played Superugby, if you watched the game yesterday made a few errors and passing wasn that accurate when under pressure. Groom is better but HM has enough scrummies.
Ludik is ok but again what does he offer than Aplon doesnt??? size? That is why yesterday was soo sweet and when I think about it I cn only smile. Not Jordan,Dvilliers,Sadie, JJ, Taute and whoever in SA you wanna mention can do what JDJ did yesterday.
28 Oct 2012, 12:14 pm
@assagai-938: Elton gonna show you up Skop.
And Lambie is way better than Catra.
I do like Willie and Andries though, Schreuder too. So long as WP don’t revert to Duvenage we’ll be ok.
28 Oct 2012, 12:15 pm
@Gumboots-937:
Ludik definitely deserves a call up, his been the form 15 all year.
Reinach appears to be the answer at scrummie. The combo factor also has to be taken into account, should Lambie play at 10.
If Groom can work on his tactical kicking he’ll be a future contender at 9.
28 Oct 2012, 12:17 pm
Fuckitt…
My eyes are bleeding…My head is pounding… and the gall is bitter
therefore I’m not going to hang around…
But I will say this and it pains me to say it…
WP were an immovable object yesterday… Their defence was incredible.
Also not good for Sharks to be overwhelming favourites… The Black and White fireworks fizzled and then went out…
JdJ was magnificent… If he is not No 1. center choice for Boks or Stormers then powers that be got to take a long hard look in the mirror… Also, if Meyer doesn’t do whatever it takes to get Nienaber in the Bok setup then he is a dumbfuck.
Lambie was excellent but he needed a few more team mates to come to the party too…
WP deserved their first Cup in 11 years, after more than a decade of winning nothing…. It is appropriate that they finally did win with a team of unsung heroes and not the often mythological Blue and White striped “legends”
Now I must go and choke, chunder and spew… I feel like a Kiwi now… cough cough cough Choke…
Outtahere.
28 Oct 2012, 12:20 pm
Lol I see WP boys still having fun, I would have thought you would all had hang overs so bad that your eyes would have bled.
Actually I was hoping that was the case lol, but see you all still bouncing along, they adrenaline is going fade soon.
Ah but like I said after the game a well deserved win, you were so much better than us on the day.
28 Oct 2012, 12:21 pm
if Meyer does not pick Juan de Jongh as first name at center then the moron is absolutely and totally bevok in his brain
He should also pick Groom and Fourie and perhaps Kitchoff to go with Vermeulen and Etsebeth.
Fourie is by light years ahead of the rest of the countries hookers and open side flanks, he is the most devastating player of such caliber since Heinrich Brussow of 2009.
Joe Pietersen can be developed into a FH and so can Schreuder.
28 Oct 2012, 12:23 pm
Normally I would just say … WP congrats.
But I would say, this time, really well done. Great game, always underdogs, well deserved after the display yesterday.
The last grasp victory at Ellispark last week now means that much. Cool.
28 Oct 2012, 12:23 pm
@Heavens Game-943:
Blah blah
Look if you felt like a kiwi then you would know how it feels to have trophies in the cabinet….
0 tropihes = you dont have a clue what its like to be a kiwi
28 Oct 2012, 12:24 pm
Keegan was close to the top of the “Tackles missed” pile for most of the first half of the Super Comp this year. Things improved for him in the second half, BUT
it looks like he’s making a comeback!
28 Oct 2012, 12:24 pm
Sometime soon, like right now, Heyneke will have to make a decision about the next Bok captain. JDV might be the man at the moment but he is not the long term solution that HM is looking for. I’ve been a huge fan of JDV’s over the years but his best days are behind him. He is the wrong side of 30. He is not playing in his natural position of 12. But makes an adequate 13. Frans Steyn is still in the mix. But i think the Boks might be entering an era of playing smaller but more skillful centres. And here I rate JDJ, Paul Jordaan and yes Tim Whitehead. Whitehead must be one of the most underrated centres doing the business.
28 Oct 2012, 12:25 pm
-that much more…
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