Rookies must step up for Province
Siya Kolisi is one of the rookies wo will take the field for Western Province in their Currie Cup opener against Griquas at Newlands on Saturday. Siya Kolisi is one of the rookies wo will take the field for Western Province in their Currie Cup opener against Griquas at Newlands on Saturday.
Cape Town has been home to a record 31 Currie Cup titles while Griquas haven’t lifted the prestigious domestic trophy for more than 40 years, but it is Western Province who will have to prove their credentials when the teams clash at Newlands this afternoon.
The lure of the Euro combined with the toll of an arduous Super 15 campaign, and the requirements of the Springboks’ World Cup preparations, has accounted for more than 20 Province campaigners.
A contingent of eight Stormers has been withdrawn for Bok duty, and their absence has been exacerbated by the loss of stalwarts such as Francois Louw (Bath) and Ricky Januarie (Lyon) to lucrative European contracts, while a long list of injuries has effectively reduced Province to a Vodacom Cup side reinforced with a smattering of Super Rugby veterans.
“We’ve definitely had more injuries than we had last year,” said WP coach Allister Coetzee this week. “Duane Vermeulen, Rynhardt Elstadt, Dewaldt Duvenage, Pieter Louw, JC Kritizinger… those are all experienced players that would be playing for us right now.”
In their stead, Coetzee has called up the core of the side that won last year’s domestic Under-21 championship.
Nick Koster will pack down at the base of a loose trio featuring Currie Cup rookies Siya Kolisi and Wimpie van der Walt, and the halfback combination of Louis Schreuder and Gary van Aswegen will run on for their starting debuts, as will winger Danie Poolman and centre Johann Sadie.
Given the hangover of a long Super season, and the proximity of the Tri-Nations series and the World Cup, many will view the onset of the provincial competition with only a passing interest.
However, Coetzee has confirmed that the Stormers are not in the market for big-name off-season signings and the coach is consequently aware that the fortunes of his inexperienced Currie Cup team could determine how well the Stormers cope with the toll of next year’s Super Rugby season.
“We’ve got a duel purpose for this competition,” added Coetzee.
“One is to do well in the Currie Cup – you never participate in a competition just to see what happens – and secondly, we have to continue growing our players.”
“Our philosophy is that it’s a great opportunity to get these youngsters into the mix,” added attack coach Robbie Fleck. “There’s a lot of talent coming through.
“We want to develop a squad that can compete at Super 15 level, and our primary goal is to get these youngsters confident to play and win at that level.”
The foundation of the Stormers and Province’s success over the past three seasons comes from an ability to win field position with an accurate kicking game and apply pressure on opponents with an imposing defensive wall.
Flyhalf Willem de Waal and fullback Joe Pietersen left Cape Town for Europe last year, and the Stormers were made to pay for failing to replace the duo’s tactical nous by both the Reds and Crusaders earlier this year.
“The way we lost in that Super 15 semifinal against the Crusaders wasn’t ideal,” admitted Fleck. “We played a bit too much rugby when we should have played more Test-match rugby, like the Crusaders.”
The statistics from the Super play-offs supports Fleck’s belief – the wildcard matches, the semifinals and the final were won by the teams that out-kicked their opponents for a territorial advantage.
Province’s junior champions are a talented lot, but Coetzee is waiting to see whether they have acquired a taste for the tactics required to win in the senior arena.
“Naturally, they’re exciting young players,” he said. “But you still have to play in the right areas of the field and make the right decisions.
“I’ll only know where we are as a group after the Griquas game.” – Weekend Argus