Western Province coach Gert Smal refuses to be carried away by the euphoria after Saturday's 51-28 thumping of the Lions at Ellis Park. He already has his sights firmly set on Saturday's clash against the Natal Sharks at Newlands.

The win elevated WP to the top of the Top Eight log with 19 points, three clear of their opponents on Saturday - securing them a semifinal spot. Although Smal described the win as his most satisfying yet, he said there is still a lot of room for improvement.

"Yes, it's been a good game for us and a very important one as well. It was our first chance to pit ourselves against really strong opposition - not that I want to degrade the teams we encountered in the section stage - but you want to test yourself against the best and this Lions side is certainly one of the strongest.

"Next weekend we have the Sharks and we just hope it's going to go as well in the second one as in the first."

Province suffered a setback when Springbok inside centre De Wet Barry (pictured) sustained concussion which will sideline him for two weeks. But WP boast an embarrassment of riches in this position, with Stuart Abbott, Brendan Venter and Thinus Linee all vying for the vacant spot.

According to the coach, it was important for his charges to prove that they can win away from home. "I don't want my team to develop the stigma that they can't win away from Newlands, that's why the away win was heartening.

"I think the guys played very creatively and they tried to set up tries whenever the opportunity arose. But I feel we threw away a couple of try-scoring opportunities. We missed three or four in the first 10 minutes that could have buried the Lions. But we just couldn't finish off.

"It was a very good team effort, with particularly the tight five doing well. This gave the loosies the freedom to complement the backs on the attack and subsequently the team showed a lot of flair and creativity."

Smal said his side had the upperhand for most of the game. "I think the guys showed a lot of character, even when we had 13 players on the field.

"The only time they could score tries was when we had 13 guys on the field. It's impossible to keep such a strong side out with two players off the field, but the guys showed tremendous character, especially in that spell immediately after halftime.

"We knew we were going to take them when we get Fleckie and Toks back. We don't want to sound arrogant, but we still have plenty of room for improvement.

"We conceded too much possession in the first half and there were a lot of mistakes. We conceded 12 turnovers in the first half and that's way too much."