Tighthead Louw elated after heroics for Province

Currie Cup hero Wilco Louw says he still has to pinch himself. And there is a lot to put between thumb and index finger.

Louw is a tighthead wide of frame and dimension and he showed it in a blockbusting performance in the final as Western Province defied narrow odds to beat the Sharks 33-21 on the KwaZulu-Natal side’s home soil.

His heroics at Kings Park came on the back of a Test debut against the All Blacks at Newlands earlier this month.

“Sometimes I feel I still have to pinch myself‚” he said. “That Test against New Zealand came so quick.

“I was busy playing Currie Cup but then I saw Coenie [Oosthuizen] got injured. Then my dream came true. On top of that we win the Currie Cup. 2017 has been a great year for me.

“A guy like JC [Janse van Rensburg] is 32 and he won the Currie Cup for the first time now. We worked really hard and we’ve reaped the rewards.”

Louw is particularly grateful he can take the trophy back to his revered home ground.

“Newlands is a place near to my heart. As a little boy I went there to support Western Province. I also made my Test debut there and now we get the opportunity to take the Currie Cup back there.… ”

Louw’s performances over the last month or so have made him the form tighthead in SA.

Oosthuizen and Frans Malherbe’s recent enforced absence through injury and Ruan Dreyer’s loss of form has thrust Louw into a key role when the Springboks tour Europe in November.

“I didn’t expect to dominate that much. We knew the Sharks would come for us in the scrums. It worked really well for us. It was great.”

Western Province coach John Dobson did not expect their pack to go into overdrive in the set piece either.

“The scrums were an important part of our plan but we didn’t expect to be as dominant as we were.”