Western
Province suffered a 27-23 Currie Cup defeat to Griquas on Friday night, ending
their hopes of hosting a home semi-final.
Province
went into the fixture having lost two of their four encounters in 2019, while
Griquas’ position at the top of the log was the result of only one loss this
season.
Prior to the
game, there was much talk about the magnitude of the match, and Griquas made
sure to do all that hype justice by firing out of the blocks and producing an impressive
performance to overcome the 2017 champions.
It took them
just five minutes to get on the scoreboard with a try through Ederies Arendse,
who went over after the hosts capitalised on a botched kickoff.
SP Marais
added some points for WP in the 25th minute only with a penalty kick (7-3), but
Griquas hit back shortly afterwards for another five-pointer (14-3).
Marais added
another penalty to take the score to 14-6, but George Whitehead responded for
Griquas not too long after that to take the score to 17-6.
Speedster
Seabelo Senatla got WP’s first try after the ball was moved wide followin a maul
(17-11), but it didn’t take the hosts long to hit back.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/CurrieCupRELOADED?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CurrieCupRELOADED #DirectAxis #TafelLagerGriquas
21 YEARS OF HISTORY IN THE MAKING #SemiFinals pic.twitter.com/VohswpKwEp
— Griquas Rugby (@GriquasRugby)
Arendse got
his brace, which took the score to 24-11, and Whitehead stretched that lead
even further when he slotted another three-pointer in the 70th minute.
WP got a
late try through replacement loose forward Nama Xaba and another through
Senatla in the dying seconds, but it wasn’t enough to save the game.
Province next face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Points-Scorers
Griquas 27 – Tries: Ederies Arendse (2), Eduan Keyter. Conversions: George Whitehead (3). Penalties: Whitehead (2)
WP 23 – Tries: Seabelo Senatla (2), Nama Xaba. Conversion: SP Marais. Penalties: Marais (2).
@WynonaLouw