De Waal steers WP to win
by Craig Ray | 11 July 2009 (19:11)
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| Willem de Waal © Gallo Images |
Flyhalf Willem de Waal scored 19 points to steer Western Province to a comfortable 29-15 (halftime 16-12) over defending ABSA Currie Cup champions the Natal Sharks at Newlands on Saturday.
Heavy downpours before kick-off ensured the pitch was slippery and the handling conditions difficult, but WP managed the elements well to record an important victory.
The win lifted WP to joint-second on the standings behind surprise first round leaders Griquas, who beat Free State on Friday.
De Waal relished the rainy conditions and gave another virtuoso kicking display following his heroics for the Emerging Boks against the British & Irish Lions two weeks ago. He slotted seven of eight kicks at goal, which included five penalties and two conversions, and made a comfortable transition to fullback midway through the second half when Joe Pietersen limped off.
The Sharks were always second best in the match as WP ran in two unanswered tries. Sharks scrumhalf Rory Kockott scored their only points through five penalties, four coming in an error-strewn first half.
Former All Black lock Chris Jack scored what must be the quickest debut try in Currie Cup history when he crashed over within 20 seconds of the opening whistle.
In WP colours for the first time, Jack charged down an attempted Kockott clearance using his full 2.01-metre frame to get his fingertips to the ball. He chased his charge like a back and when the ball popped up favourably the New Zealander only had to fall over the line for a well-taken try.
It was the perfect start to what would be a good, if not perfect, afternoon for the hosts. But their indiscipline in the opening 40 minutes allowed the Sharks to stay in the match as Kockott punished every infringement with a series of well-struck kicks.
De Waal though, also landed three penalties in the period to keep his side in front.
The second half belonged entirely to WP as their scrum, which had parity in the first half, began to dominate the much-vaunted Natal pack. From that solid platform the visitors were reduced to defending their line for long passages of play.
Wing Sireli Naqelevuki scored WP’s second try in the 47th minute after a strong tackle by No 8 Luke Watson on Jean Deysel led to a turnover. The ball was worked down the short side with lock Anton van Zyl and centre Morgan Newman combining to put the Fijian flyer away.
De Waal slotted two more penalties as the pressure mounted on the Sharks, who had to answer to securing possession for longer than a few seconds at a time.
Sharks coach John Plumtree’s season won’t get much easier with a wealth of players on Springbok duty in the coming months. He’ll have to do a lot of work to nurse the current crop into semi-final contention by the time the Boks return.
Scorers:
WP – Tries: Chris Jack, Sireli Naqelevuki. Conversions: Willem de Waal (2). Penalties: De Waal (4).
Natal Sharks – Penalties: Rory Kockott (5).
Read more on the Currie Cup page.
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