Penalty: Dumond
Western Province(13) 37
Tries: Pietersen, Watson (2), De Jongh, Aplon; Conversions: Pietersen (3); Penalties: Pietersen (2)
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee said before his team left for Potchefstroom that patience would be key to his team's chances of hitting their target, and for a long time it proved a test of patience both for the team and their fans.
No matter how many times you talk about the need to look at victory as the primary goal and let the four-try bonus become a secondary consideration, it is hard sometimes for teams to remember that when they are on the field. At least that is what we can glean from what we see week after week when stronger sides come up against weaker ones.
WP had enough territory in the first half at Olen Park to be more than 10 points ahead at halftime, but they were still guilty of playing too much in their own half, particularly in the first quarter. It was as if last week's game against the Cheetahs, where WP struck often from deep positions off turn-over ball, had duped the Cape team into thinking they could do it all the time.
WP didn't protect their possession enough, there were too many 50/50 or speculative passes, and for 40 minutes it didn't really go according to plan. Or did it? Not for nothing do rugby pundits talk about the slow poison of the scrum, and there was some relevance to that saying in this match.
Joe Pietersen was again in good form at fullback, and it was he who set WP on the road to victory with the first try, which came in the ninth minute.