I can onl yimaging saSUE, Brycy and Sitting bulle nodong wisely and noting how we are following hteir lead
They were the team the Stormers didn’t play in this year’s Super Rugby, and they are now also the team that Western Province coach Allister Coetzee appears to be using his blue-print for success in next season’s southern hemisphere regional competition.
The Chiefs finished behind the Stormers on the final Super Rugby log (Dispite all the best efforts of the Chiefs and nz refs), but thanks to the Sharks’ travel schedule, they ended up winning the competition with something to spare using what Coetzee described as a neat cocktail of aggressive defence, strong running and an accurate kicking game.
While a trophy would be nice as it would break a long drought for the silverware cabinet at Newlands – if you factor out the Vodacom Cup and Super Rugby Conference trophy, of course (BUT WHY DO THAT - THE SA CONFERENCE IS FAR BIGGER THAN THE CURRIE CUP!!!)– the WP management have never made any secret about what this Currie Cup season is about. Build depth, like last year, and grow the game, perhaps something they didn’t do enough of this time in 2011.
“We don’t want to emulate the Chiefs (Wise move Coetzee you had me worried), that is not what I am saying, I am just trying to make a point,” said Coetzee.
“The Currie Cup gives you a chance to try things for Super Rugby, and that is what we are trying to do. That is why we are going to try to stick to our plan even if it doesn’t always win us games.”
With a young squad with several under-21 players new to this level of rugby, Coetzee realises it may be a while before WP become consistent.
“It’s important that we don’t start thinking because of our big win against the Bulls last week that we have now arrived and that this is where we want to be. It just so happened that everything worked out against the Bulls, and we were comfortable with referee Lourens van der Merwe and his interpretations. On another day it won’t be like that, and it will be a new challenge,” he said. (Agree who are the bulle anyway!! Hahhahahahaha)
Coetzee was delighted with the way that his men stepped up to the plate against the Bulls after losing a game they should have won against the Golden Lions the week before. He hopes they will carry that momentum into a potentially much stiffer challenge against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. What he would like to see is not WP running the ball from all over the show, but bringing that balance that has been spoken about in Cape rugby over the past few seasons to the extent that it is becoming a cliché.(Aaaaah at last that great word balance. It implies decision making as per Meyer not helter skelter rugby basket ball rugby ala muncher!))
“I think if you look at what the Chiefs did this year, they got the balance right. Their halfback pair of Twera Kerr-Barlow and Aaron Cruden have a great kicking game, and they don’t just run from all over the show, although they can also do that,” said Coetzee after Monday’s training session at the High Performance Centre in Bellville.
“They also use their defence to put teams under pressure. So if you have that in your armoury then you just need to know how to use and apply it.
The Chiefs in the past were a great attacking team that ran from all over the show, but they lost. You will remember how well beaten they were when they got into a final against the Bulls at Loftus one year (2009).”
Coetzee confirmed the loss of two players because of injury, Dewaldt Duvenage (for the season) and Ederies Arendse (10 days), but said that two players who sat out of training on Monday, loose-forwards Jebb Sinclair and Rynhardt Elstadt, were just resting as a precaution and would be available for the Bloemfontein game.
Fullback Joe Pietersen was due to have his troublesome wrist assessed by a specialist later in the day and Coetzee was waiting for confirmation that he would be ready to resume training. Flanker Tyrone Holmes is available for selection again after sitting out with injury the last two weeks and Nick Koster is back in training though it is still a few weeks before he will be able to take contact (good news this as he is a talented player.
Ou Alistair talking some sense as many will no doubt agree.
All that happened really was we returned a bit more to our roots - forget about the wee chiefies please! As I had suggested we needed to add some attacking flair to our sound defence.
WP have a great squad of youngsters ready to rule the roost given the proper guidance and provided we keep them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alistair please sign up Taute.
Thanks
