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Western Province cemented their place at the top of the Currie Cup standings when they recorded an emphatic 54-13 win over the Pumas at Newlands on Friday.

Province were good value for their seven tries to two win, with the hapless Pumas out simply no match for the tournament's form team.

It was a first-half blitz that killed off the Pumas - with WP scoring four tries in a 14-minute period took the score from 9-3 to 35-3 and ended  the game as a contest.

The other significant factor was WP's defence, which stopped the big Puma forwards in their tracks. Add to that some slick backline play that ensured the home team produced a polished, all-round performance.

Even though they went to sleep at times in the second half, they were never in danger once they have scored those first-half tries.

Willem de Waal opened the scoring with a sixth-minute penalty, but the Pumas were lucky to still have their full quota of players on the field - following a cynical foul.

Elgar Watts levelled matters for the Pumas in the 11th minute, after they were rewarded a penalty for holding on in the tackle.

De Waal then slotted two more penalties - in the 14th minute when Pumas prop Ronnie Uys was penalised for 'walking around' in the scrum and in the 18th minute when Uys was done for 'angling in' at the scrum.

Carl Bezuidenhout had a chance to narrow the gap, but his attempt from 50 metres out fell just short.

Province got the first try when flank Pieter Louw went over in the 26th minute, after WP took the ball through 13 phases, with De Waal's conversion making it 16-3.

Five minutes later Springbok Gio Aplon showed his international qualities when he mesmerized the Pumas defence, his sublime stepping bringing WP their second try. De Waal's conversion put the home team virtually out of reach at 23-3.

And the Bok flyer got his second moments later - even though it took the TMO several takes to determine that the nippy wing had dotted down a fraction before he went into touch. De Waal couldn't add the extras, but it was 28-3.

Captain Anton van Zyl got the bonus-point try with just over two minutes to go to half-time and De Waal's conversion made it 35-3 at the break.

Province were much slower in getting off the mark after the break, but the score was emphatic as anything produced in the first half - a well-executed rolling maul that moved 20 metres and Louw getting his second try. Lionel Cronje, on for De Waal, slotted the conversion for a 42-3 lead and 57 minutes gone.

The Pumas kept plugging away and with little more than 10 minutes remaining replacement Shaun Venter strolled over for his team's opening try - a deserved score after a rare period of sustained phase play. Ricardo Croy failed with the conversion, but it mattered not - the try was what would have given he visitors more pleasure than the scoreline.

Buoyed by that score the Pumas stormed back and it was hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld who barged over after some great interplay between forwards and backs. Again the conversion was wide, but the two tries had showed what the Pumas are capable of.

The Pumas' hearts were broken moments later when replacement Lionel Cronje intercepted and scored, adding the conversion to end the visitors' mini rally.

Replacement JJ Engelbrecht, after some slick interplay, scored the home team's seventh try to take their score beyond the half century mark - 54-13.

There was a late rally by the visitors, but they failed to add to their score.

The scorers:

For Western Province:
Tries: Louw 2, Aplon 2, Van Zyl, Cronje, Engelbrecht
Cons: De Waal 3, Cronje 2
Pens: De Waal 3

For the Pumas:
Tries: Venter, Van Jaarsveld
Pen: Watts

The teams:

Western Province: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Conrad Hoffmann, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynardt Elstadt, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl (captain), 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 JD Moller.
Replacements: 16 Hanyani Shimange, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 Martin Muller, 19 Pieter Myburgh, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Lionel Cronjé, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Pumas: 15 Carl Bezuidenhout, 14 Ashwin Scott, 13 Tiaan Marx, 12 Siviwe Magaba, 11 Allister Kettledas, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Doppies le Roux, 7 Alwyn Bester, 6 Corné Steenkamp, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Willem Serfontein, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin (captain), Ronnie Uys.
Replacements: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Dee-Jay Terblanche, 18 Dawie Steyn, 19 Andries Kruger, 20 Pieter Meyer, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 Ricardo Croy.

Referee: Pro Legoete
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry, Eugenia Daniels
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

By Paul Dobson