WP Women's road to the Final
Yesterday at 07:08 AM
RECAP: Not as smooth sailing as their fellow finalist, the Western Province Women have undergone a tricky journey to the Women's Premier Division Final.
WP Women will contest the Final against the unbeaten and in-form Bulls Daisies at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The North-South derby is a repeat of the last two Finals, in which Bulls Daisies were triumphant on both occasions.
WP has not had the best record when it comes to Finals.
In 2021 and 2022, the Cape Town side also made back-to-back Finals but lost both encounters to Border Ladies.
While this weekend will be another massive challenge for Stanley Rubenheimer's side, they certainly have impressed throughout the season and showed they have the ability to produce an upset.
The WP last lifted the trophy in 2019, while no tournament happened in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
WP kept a tight grip on the third spot on the log with a 29-19 win over Sharks Women in Round Five.
With Bulls Daisies and Boland Dames leading the pack, there was loads of pressure on WP Women.
However, they kept their final hopes intact with a convincing 29-19 win at Kings Park.
The visitors scored five tries and although their line was breached three times, they had enough in the tank to pull away from the Sharks Women, whose trophy hopes have been dashed.
The home side started well, getting the first points of the match on the board when Ulender Khumalo (right wing) raced in for a converted try and a 7-0 lead.
The WP pack then took control, scoring three tries before the break, one of them by Springbok Women captain Nolusindiso Booi. The second half had more parity, with both sides scoring twice.
Lively Sharks No.8 Megan Comley bagged a brace as they delivered a late flurry, but the visitors had enough composure and class to see that out.
In Round Six, Western Province overwhelmed EP Queens 69-5 at City Park in Cape Town.
They outscored EP 11 tries to one. WP wing Shaunique Hess bounced back to form in spectacular fashion, scoring four tries, including the opening two of the encounter, played in hot and windy conditions.
The younger Hess sibling, Bronishia, who played at hooker, also dotted down, making it a memorable weekend for the family, while livewire flanker Anelisiwe Mxabo also got a double and was prominent for the entire match.
The last round was all to play for as WP faced Boland Dames in an unofficial semifinal.
The match at Rosina Paarwater Stadium was played in blustery and wet conditions, but in the end, WP edged Boland 32-29.
It was the home side that showed they wanted it more by outplaying the team ranked second coming into the fixture.
WP, playing with a wind from behind in the first half, laid the foundations for the victory in the opening stanza, and their 22-12 lead at the break proved decisive in the end.
They defended bravely and had a good structure on attack, while the Boland side looked rather lethargic when going forward and apart from the odd burst by Aseza Hele, the visitors had few options on attack.
WP scored two crucial tries in the space of 10 minutes late in the half while having a player in the sin bin, and that boosted their confidence as well.
They sealed the deal with a fifth try late in the second half, and although the Dames set up a nail-biting finish with Hele's hat-trick, the home side held their composure for a deserved win.
