Province pound EP
30 Jun 2010
Western Province scored eight tries as they easily beat Eastern Province 58-19 at Craven Week on Wednesday.
Click here for day three results
The Cape side must now be favourites to contest the showpiece game on Saturday after back-to-back wins. And they will not be too worried who they play, Free State included, after their most complete performance yet.
EP came into this game no doubt feeling pretty confident of downing their coastal rivals after beginning their week with a 19-17 win over the Blue Bulls. But the momentum of that shock win was not carried into this match against WP who were in sublime form as a unit. The inter-play between backs and forwards was impressive, and the pack in complete control in the set-pieces (poaching lineout ball three times in the first half and securing a heel-against-the-head).
WP made a solid start and went on an early driving maul in a show of forward power but could not breach a determined EP side who were quick to opt for the counter-attacking game.
WP then started to gain the ascendancy through the 10-minute mark and, after going into a 3-0 lead in the eighth minute via a penalty goal from the boot of left winger Devan Williams, came close to scoring a try but fullback Craig Barry could not hold onto a pass going over the line.
But they did begin their try-scoring rout in the 14th minute (from a lineout) when flyhalf Errol Jaggers ghosted through the defence to set up Williams for the easy finish. Williams then slotted his second penalty to put WP 11-0 ahead in the 26th minute.
EP were forced to live off scraps and never helped their cause by conceding eight turnovers in the face of aggressive work by the impressive WP loosies.
WP, who were playing total rugby at this stage, scored their second try in the 30th minute through SA Schools cap Barry.
EP managed to score a try against the run of play in a move that started from within their 22 and ended at the other side with hooker Marzug Marlman enjoying a solo 20m run to the line down the left side. But any hopes of a change in fortunes for EP were quickly snuffed out as WP came out firing in the second 35 minutes playing the kind of enterprising rugby coach Chris October had been asking for.
It was one-way traffic as WP scored three tries in six minutes. Barry grabbed his second, flanker Sikhumbuzo scoring his second in consecutive games and Williams, who ended with 28 points to his name (two tries, six conversions and two penalties) claiming his brace.
EP, trailing 37-5, did get their second five-pointer through Jacobus Swart, converted by Shane Gates, but they were clearly second best on the day.
Barry, standing in as WP captain for Stephan Coetzee, claimed his hat-trick as his side ended the game scoring eight wonderful tries to the three against (EP getting their third try after the hooter).
By Mike de Bruyn
15 Comments
30 Jun 2010, 17:19 pm
go wp go!
30 Jun 2010, 17:22 pm
and thiws self same ep team beat the bulls
mmm me thinks the bulls are **** this year
30 Jun 2010, 17:26 pm
I watched this game, Province fullback and Capt on the day , Craig Barry looks a huge prospect……Province forwards and backs far to strong……the pace of the backs , just awsome !!
30 Jun 2010, 17:26 pm
spelling awsome=awesome
30 Jun 2010, 17:28 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-3: great tio hear that….
i see federer gone!
30 Jun 2010, 17:31 pm
@grant10(grant10)-5:
Yip, sad man !!
30 Jun 2010, 17:34 pm
sh.t!!!!!!!!!!!
30 Jun 2010, 17:36 pm
Perhaps this will end the calling for the creation of the Eastern Province dragons based on schoolboy rugby results?!
30 Jun 2010, 17:40 pm
The script for almost every Craven week is the same:
Province beat all comers
Free State beat all comers
Free State vs Province Final – winner on the day can go either way…..
Free State will beat Natal tomorrow, and then have a cracker final against Province on Saturday. Province looking awesome though. They should win it.
30 Jun 2010, 17:51 pm
Schoolboy rugby really is in a healthy state for WP. The u16s and u13s (althought doesn’t mean that much imo) won their respective competitions and and the WP academy team went unbeaten in theirs, ending with a 20-all draw against Boland.
Our 16s won the comp last year as well so we should be set to dominate the next 2 years.
30 Jun 2010, 17:55 pm
Oh and Barry looks like a wonderful player. I just hope WP hold onto him. We’ve always had wonderful schoolboy players, but struggled to retain the best.
30 Jun 2010, 18:19 pm
@renoog(silent_shadow)-11: They don’t struggle to retain the best, they aren’t interested in retaining the best.
30 Jun 2010, 22:41 pm
more like the bulls scouting team very happy with new talent wp is grooming!!!!
30 Jun 2010, 23:13 pm
or the saders’ scouts. So much for the call that the paarl and stellenbosch power houses should be included in boland rugby. We’ve always played in province and that’s the way it should stay – there’s not enough strength in the boland schools for this 4 to flourish .
By the way are all teams adhearing to the qoutas?
1 Jul 2010, 09:45 am
@rugby_only(rugby_only)-14:
I don’t quite understand your statement??
TAKE IT FROM ME – If the 3 big Paarl schools & Paul Roos (Stellenbosch) played for Boland, Boland would win CRAVEN WEEK every single year, in fact the Boland team would beat a quota SA Schools team.
Just think about it (3 fo these schools are in the top 10 & Boland Landbou is in the top 20):
Paarl Gym
Paarl Boys’ High (Boishaai)
Boland Landbou
Paul Roos
Then there are the schools that currently make up the Boland team which could also contribute talented players (e.g. Hugenote, Piketberg, Klein Nederburg, New Orleans, HTS Drosdy, Porteville, etc. )
The current Boland team isn’t bad.
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