WP too good, admits coach

Ken Borland

Sharks coach Robert du Preez was pleased his side were able to deal with a bad start and fight their way back into the game, but he acknowledged Western Province were simply the better team as the home side won their Currie Cup match at Newlands 50-28.

Although the Sharks scored inside the first minute through centre Marius Louw, Province then blitzed them with a burst of 31 unanswered points in the next 25 minutes, from which point the visitors were always playing catch-up rugby. They clawed their way back to within three points early in the second half, but the home side then showed their teeth again and pulled away for a convincing victory.

“Things didn’t go our way in the first 30 minutes, but I liked the team’s character to come back into the game and potentially set themselves up for the win. They showed a lot of guts and character, but in the end it was disappointing. But you’ve got to give Western Province credit, they were outstanding.

“We did really well to come back, but there were just too many lapses and that bit us hard,” Du Preez said.