Cape Town — Wasted opportunities and poor discipline proved costly for Western Province as a determined Pumas pulled off a well deserved 37-11 Currie Cup bonus-point victory at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.
The visitors from Mpumalanga scored 29 points in the second half to just three from the home side as they showed the way in capitalising on their possession and territory in the opposition’s half.
The lack of precision with ball-in-hand in the 10 minutes before halftime arguably cost WP the match. They had a number of attacking opportunities inside the Pumas half, but were unable to convert.
Tough afternoon at DHL Stadium for DHL WP as they go down 37-11 against the Airlink Pumas, who pulled away in the second half. pic.twitter.com/oEcjExNrI6
— WP RUGBY (@WP_RUGBY) March 23, 2022
Hooker JJ Kotze actually thought he had scored from a driving maul, as referee Griffin Colby awarded the try. But TMO Marius Jonker checked the replay, and the touchdown was ruled out for a knock-on by Kotze in the act of scoring.
Another incident before the break saw the WP No 2 feed a lineout in the Pumas 22, but the throw-in was skew.
It wasn’t just Kotze who was to blame, though, as time and again, a knock-on or wrong decision on attack by Province led to a turnover.
The Pumas made the better start to the game as well, with big wing Sebastian de Klerk rounding off after a flurry of carries from the forwards.
It didn’t take long for WP to hit back, though, and it was their best passage of play on a warm afternoon in the Mother City. Classy fullback Tristan Leyds breached the defence on the right, and then some lovely passing and handling down the line saw wing Angelo Davids score on the left.
But that was as good as it got for the Capetonians. The Pumas pack had the edge in the scrums throughout, and flanks Daniel Maartens and Anele Lungisa, as well as No 8 Willie Engelbrecht, gave them a hard edge in the tight loose and at the breakdowns.
The Pumas also took full advantage of a yellow card to WP scrumhalf Godlen Masimla early in the second half, with first Lungisa scoring from a maul, and later De Klerk finished on the right after Province dropped a kickoff.
At 25-11 behind, it was too much of a gap for WP to overcome, and the Pumas hammered home their advantage through further five-pointers by Engelbrecht and fullback Tapiwa Mafura.
The Pumas kept their slim semi-final hopes alive and move above WP into fifth spot with 10 points, while Province remain on seven and slip down to sixth at the halfway stage of the season.
POINTS-SCORERS
Western Province 11 – Try: Angelo Davids. Penalties: Kade Wolhuter (2).
Pumas 37 – Tries: Sebastian de Klerk (2), Anele Lungisa, Willie Engelbrecht, Tapiwa Mafura. Conversions: Eddie Fouché (3). Penalties: Fouché (2).
IOL Sport