Champions Western Province sounded a warning for the pretenders to their Currie Cup crown with a comprehensive 34-16 victory at Newlands on Saturday evening.

WP scored three tries, two conversions and five penalties to the visitors' try, conversion and three penalties. Goalkicking ace Braam van Straaten won the man of the match award for his second consecutive game with an individual yield of 19 points.

Fittingly, it was the Springbok centre who opened the scoring by stroking over a penalty in the first minute that made it 3-0.

It was precisely the confident start that WP needed and they enjoyed a good attacking spell, with Van Straaten making it 6-0 after the Lions strayed offside in the sixth minute.

The Lions, however, fought their way back into the game and flyhalf Louis Koen drew them within three points with a penalty in the ninth minute.

Frans Ludeke's side could easily have taken the lead after flanker Johann van Niekerk ghosted through the WP defence shortly afterwards, but their finishing let them down.

WP, however, were penalised for obstruction in the 23rd minute and Koen stepped up to square the game at 6-6.

Dean Hall, the big Lions wing, pulled off a try-saving tackle on WP centre Gus Theron in the 32nd minute, but a minute later nobody could prevent a quick thinking Corne Krige from crashing over with a tap penalty.

Van Straaten's angled conversion made it 13-6 and when he added another penalty in the 38th minute to extend the lead to 10 points, the signs looked ominous for the Lions.

But Gcobani Bobo, playing at inside centre for the injured Japie Mulder, broke through the WP midfield on the stroke of halftime and Van Niekerk finished off under the posts. Koen's conversion had the Lions back within three points.

WP wing Pieter Rossouw (pictured), however, intercepted a Grant Esterhuizen pass shortly after halftime and touched down under the posts. Van Straaten's conversion made it 26-13 and the Lions were effectively reduced to chasing the game from there on.

Koen added a penalty in the 45th minute, but Van Straaten replied in kind and WP comfortably saw off whatever the desperate Lions threw at them on attack.

The diminutive Breyton Paulse, who had earlier felled Hall,pulled off a crucial late tackle on Thinus Delport. WP then finished off the game with a late try from fullback Percy Montgomery after some excellent build-up play by Rossouw and lock Quinton Davids.

The home side's forward effort was vastly improved from the week before, with loosehead prop Toks van der Linde and Davids both impressive.

While the Lions missed the presence of the powerful Mulder in their midfield, Bobo provided some excellent creative touches. Van Niekerk's performance was also a feather in his cap and he was arguably the most impressive player on the park with his creative touches and workrate.

The day, however, belonged to WP who took a significant step towards the semifinals.

Scorers:

Western Province - Tries: Corne Krige, Pieter Rossouw, Percy Montgomery; Conversions: Braam van Straaten (2); Penalties: Van Straaten (5).

Lions - Try: Johann van Niekerk; Conversion: Louis Koen; Penalties: Koen (3). - Sapa