Season wrap up Coach Allister Coetzee
Coach Allister Coetzee refused to make excuses in the aftermath of the loss to the Lions in the Absa Currie Cup semifinal. “It hurts that we could not secure a second consecutive Currie Cup final especially after finishing as the top SA team and home semifinalist in Super Rugby this year” said the coach.
“We understand fully the pain of the Faithful out there, maybe even more so. The players and management are equally if not more hungry for silverware and there was lot of disappointment and introspection in the camp. Congratulations to the Lions, they had continuity and cohesion and were good on the day. They deserved the win.”
Allister on the win and season to date
Allister Coetzee praised the role the youngsters played this season in getting Province into a position to reach the play-offs, “We entered the season with two goals, one to do well in the competition and two to ensure we continued to develop our youngsters by playing them at this level. Given the injuries we faced and the number of youngsters we played, the result of all three teams making the play-offs speaks volumes of the structures that are now in place and of the pride and passion that the players have for the jersey.”
“It's been a tough season and passing this hurdle is very satisfying.” said the coach. “We will see the value of the investment in our youngsters into next season and beyond.”
On the game, the coach gave credit to a tough Pumas team effort. “They are a tough unit to beat and have taken a number of teams close. They are physical and certainly gave there all. Whilst we won tonight there was clearly a lack of cohesion and our set pieces were not accurate enough. That said I was however happy with the general attack. We have a lot to work on this week before we go to Joburg to play the Lions, but for tonight we will enjoy the fact that the three teams will contest semis”.
In closing the coach took time to thank the Faithful for their support. “There is nothing quite like it. Through thick and thin the Faithful are there - thank you!
Absa Currie Cup Review - Week 13
In a weekend of joy and heartbreak in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division as the log-leading MTN Golden Lions clinched first position with one round left to play thanks to a great victory over DHL Western Province.
On the other side of the spectrum, GWK Griquas won a great match against the Vodacom Blue Bulls, all but knocking the team from Pretoria out of the competition.
While they still have a mathematical chance to qualify for the semifinals, the Blue Bulls and Griquas have to rely on a favour from the Ford Pumas next weekend. If the team in light blue don't make it through, it will be the first time since 2001 that they don't qualify for the knock-out phase of the Absa Currie Cup.
The Sharks and the Toyota Free State Cheetahs also qualified for the semifinals and next weekend's final round of league action will determine which of these two teams will have home ground advantage.
Absa Currie Cup final round fixtures:
Friday, 14 October
19:10: Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Platinum Leopards - Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 15 October
15:00: Toyota FS Cheetahs vs GWK Griquas - Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
17:05: DHL Western Province vs Ford Pumas - DHL Newlands, Cape Town
19:10: The Sharks vs MTN Golden Lions - Mr Price Kings Park, Durban
DHL WP 15- Sharks10 (halftime 7-7) - in their Absa Currie Cup match at Mr Price Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
Western Province's tight five also deserve credit for a fine effort in matching their Sharks counterparts, while loose forward Siya Kolisi showed he will be a brilliant asset for the Capetonians going forward.
Given that the forward exchanges were fairly even, the fact that the Western Province backs had much more pace, verve and imagination than their counterparts makes their victory a most deserved one.
SCORERS:
The Sharks - Try: Jean Deysel. Conversion: Meyer Bosman. Penalty: Freddie Michalak.
DHL Western Province - Tries: Danie Poolman, Dewaldt Duvenhage. Conversion: Lionel Cronje. Penalty: Duvenhage.
Coetzee sees positives in home defeat
It is becoming a similar story for DHL WP coach Allister Coetzee. For the third week in a row his side gave up a big first half lead and despite an impressive second half comeback, Province were unable to pull it back as they went down 34-20 against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
The coach, however had words of praise for his young side who closed the gap to 4 points after being 24-6 down at half time. He said: “It was a great second half performance by the guys and we were even in a position to win the game towards the end. We were heavy on attack and had great chances - Marcel Brache was unable to gather on the line and JJ Engelbrecht was just not able to reach a pass to him as well.
Start not good enough - Coetzee
DHL WP coach Allister Coetzee was disappointed with how his team began in their 28-20 defeat to the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Loftus on Saturday.
Coetzee not happy despite victory
DHL WP coach Allister Coetzee was not happy with his side's performance despite our boys coming away with a 49-21 victory at home to the Leopards.
A bonus point win in Kimberley is special - Coetzee
Any team that leaves Kimberley with maximum points is always going to be delighted with their efforts. This was no different for DHL WP who earned an impressive 41-35 victory against GWK Griquas in their backyard.
Coach Allister Coetzee knew that facing Griquas away was always going to be a tough match so he was very happy to come away with the win, particularly after going 15-0 down early on. Speaking after the game on Saturday he said: “It was a fantastic victory for us. It is never easy coming to Kimberly so to come away with the bonus point is really a special achievement.
WP see off plucky Pumas
DHL Western Province were hamstrung by two yellow cards but still managed to beat a resurgent Ford Pumas 24-13 (halftime 14-3) in an Absa Currie Cup Premier Division match played at the Puma Stadium in Witbank on Friday night.
An important win for the growth of this team
Allister Coetzee declared himself happy with the 3 wins from 3 at DHL Newlands on Friday. Both the DHL WP U19 (40-22) and U21 (18-17) teams secured victories against the Lions to remain unbeaten in their competitions. Then it was the turn of the senior team to snatch victory from the unbeaten log leaders from Johannesburg. It went to the wire, but after two close losses to the Sharks and Cheetahs it was both what the fans wanted and the team needed. “We are happy with the win, but maybe more importantly tonight saw 4 u20 and 2 u21 players in the senior team, with Quinn Roux and Nazeem Carr both getting their first senior Province caps. I was proud of them against what was pretty much a full Super Rugby team. They showed guts and played as a team for the jersey to come from behind and hold on at the end.” said the coach.
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