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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27 Oct 2012, 17:32 pm
Get the Cat OFFFFFF
27 Oct 2012, 17:32 pm
In the 2010 final Pat Lambie scored in excess of 20 points in his control of that Trophy performance.
Are we seeing a repeat performance? Already he has 12 pts.
27 Oct 2012, 17:34 pm
Lambie is controlling the pace of the game.
27 Oct 2012, 17:35 pm
WP fans can moan all they like about the ref, but it’s not Peyper who screwed up three scoring opportunities.
27 Oct 2012, 17:35 pm
Work trying to play springbok rugby here by kicking away possession. I hope they change tactics in the second half because it’s clearly not working.
27 Oct 2012, 17:35 pm
So a second “last” warning for the Doc
27 Oct 2012, 17:35 pm
Jannie moet af! Doos.
27 Oct 2012, 17:35 pm
@mikeybrass-44:
Snap !! lol
27 Oct 2012, 17:36 pm
The Dr to get a yellow and cost the Sharks.
27 Oct 2012, 17:36 pm
get Catrakillis OFF god almighty can’t this dumb fck coach SEE where the game is going pear shaped, get the weakest link OFF G’DAMMIT
27 Oct 2012, 17:36 pm
@katman-54: Pepyer is having a terrible game and the WP backs are being hampered by Cat stuffing up two attacking opportunities.
27 Oct 2012, 17:37 pm
Peyper is k#k
27 Oct 2012, 17:37 pm
@assagai-60: The longer he stays on, the more at risk my laptop is !
27 Oct 2012, 17:38 pm
Wooihhhooooooo
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
The quota scccoorrreeeeeesssssssssssss
Brilliance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
Try!province!
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
What a try by de Jongh!
Hondo, do you agree?
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
JdJ should be Bok 13.
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
Straight in to the Springbok team…the captain being handed off in the process. Hahahahaha
27 Oct 2012, 17:39 pm
There’s that dance we see so seldom – thankfully. It hasn’t improved.
27 Oct 2012, 17:40 pm
how’s them lemons Hondo
JdJ just showing Heyneke the dumb fck Meyer what a f’ng moronic goddamn DOOS the moron is
27 Oct 2012, 17:41 pm
Great try by JdJ
The Sharks pay dearly for playing Mvovo who is there for faking tackles and dropping passes
27 Oct 2012, 17:41 pm
Wth is a’political game’!?!?!?
27 Oct 2012, 17:41 pm
JdJ is dragging WP back into the match single-handedly with Eben helping.
27 Oct 2012, 17:42 pm
I am on course of making R20 grands!
Thanks Peyper, I knew I could count on you
27 Oct 2012, 17:42 pm
@Golden Boy-69: Yes.
27 Oct 2012, 17:43 pm
De Jongh you beauty! Was that the “Christian Cullen of loosies” on his backside?
27 Oct 2012, 17:43 pm
@Hondo-72: You’re seriously disturbed.
27 Oct 2012, 17:43 pm
@mxhosa-77: Nah. It was HG’s love ghost.
27 Oct 2012, 17:44 pm
Gangnam
27 Oct 2012, 17:44 pm
Game on!
27 Oct 2012, 17:45 pm
The Greek fights back.
27 Oct 2012, 17:45 pm
Well dOne province!!! A poor first half playing against 26 men and still taking a lead to the half…where is that 20 point hiding!?!?!?
27 Oct 2012, 17:45 pm
The Greek has guts. Limited ability but lots of guts.
Eben and JdJ are the outstanding WP players. We need Joe and Aplon to come to the party.
27 Oct 2012, 17:45 pm
Hahaha…16…to much single malt
27 Oct 2012, 17:46 pm
Ginger is doing his part too.
Lambie is fantastic.
27 Oct 2012, 17:46 pm
Juan de Jongh is a class act. Still can’t believe Taute was picked ahead of him. Embarrassing for Heyneke
27 Oct 2012, 17:47 pm
sjoe! scintillating try by de jongh.
it would be nice if he could do that for the boks, but a pity he’s short on kg’s.
is it nerves for the sharkies?
27 Oct 2012, 17:47 pm
That first phase line break and try was something special by De Jongh. It’s not often you see something like that from a South African center. Pity Heyneke doesn’t think anything of it.
27 Oct 2012, 17:48 pm
Where’s nellynwata now?
27 Oct 2012, 17:48 pm
De Jongh on Viagra!! Thank u Phizer. Have a peep Heineke
27 Oct 2012, 17:48 pm
So, hardly a walk-over now is it?
27 Oct 2012, 17:49 pm
Eish !!! Come on Sharks !!!! WP giving us a cactus ***** right now.
27 Oct 2012, 17:49 pm
WP playing very well so far. Deserve their lead at half time. Sharks started well but look like they backed off a bit. Jaco Peyper making several mistakes against both teams.
27 Oct 2012, 17:49 pm
That handoff on keegan will be my new screensaver
27 Oct 2012, 17:50 pm
@stormersboy-95: Dont worry – I had Lambie’s hand off on Schalk as my screen saver in 2010 as well.
27 Oct 2012, 17:50 pm
Everyone counting the chickens before the eggs hatch again
27 Oct 2012, 17:51 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-88: Nothing wrong with JdJ for Bok level whatsoever.
27 Oct 2012, 17:51 pm
I don’t think the WP boys are reading from the same script…surely they should have been 15 points down by now?!?!?!?!
27 Oct 2012, 17:52 pm
what sykes has brought to the game? nothing. Marais for Sykes.
Sharks needs a fetcher. Deysel for Alberts.
Ndungane for Mvovo.
Burden is struggling at the line outs, Cooper was too but he is better at the scrum and is also a ball carrier. Cooper for Burden.
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