Cape Town - Allister Coetzee says that the Golden Lions are favourites for Saturday’s Currie Cup final at Newlands, but don’t be fooled by that statement.
Coetzee said on Monday: “I know the Lions are in form and have played superb rugby throughout the competition. They are one of the sides who have had the most continuity in terms of their selection. I suppose they are the favourites this weekend, and favourites for a lot of people.”
The Western Province coach echoed what many South Africans are probably feeling ahead of the weekend showpiece - that the Lions are playing the best rugby, that they can score tries at will and have greater continuity within their side as they are fielding basically the same team that they had in Super Rugby.
Contrast that with Province, who Coetzee says are a “new team” in the Currie Cup as they are without their Springboks and have embarked on a redesigned gameplan where greater emphasis is placed on maintaining possession and making the best use of it on attack instead of just kicking the ball away.
But asked on Monday after practice in Bellville whether the Streeptruie have a point to prove because they may not be considered favourites, even though they topped the overall log and will play the final at Newlands, Coetzee said: “I think we do what we do. And we will do what we’ve been doing the whole season.
“It’s really a big challenge, and there are a few things we’ve identified and want to get right this weekend. But it’s a challenge that we are embracing and are excited about, and running out at a packed Newlands this weekend, you can’t ask for better than that.
“What excites me is that this is a completely new team to the one that played at Ellis Park at the start of the year. When I say new, I am referring to a lot of things that are new in our team - the way we play, we revisited our team culture, the tightness of our group.
“That’s why I am saying that we are embracing this challenge against the Lions, and the characteristics shown by this new team throughout the Currie Cup. We’ve been through a lot of challenges, like winning away from home and coming from behind to win against the Cheetahs.”
Coetzee appeared to give off a more relaxed and different vibe on Monday compared to the same time last year, heading into the 2013 final against the Sharks at Newlands. Province had gone unbeaten through the competition and then stumbled at the last hurdle when the weight of expectation of playing a final at home was too much to bear.
This time around, WP are ready to deal with those expectations. “I think we are a bit wiser and have learnt from last year’s mistakes. Although we thought we did everything possible during last year’s final week, it was quite an emotional week last year. So we’ve learnt, and I am not saying that there won’t be emotion - but we’ve just matured from that perspective,” Coetzee said.
WP may have slipped more tackles than usual in this Currie Cup as the youngsters learn the ropes of that trademark defensive system masterminded by Jacques Nienaber, but they have shown good resolve at times through the season.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for the Lions team. They also have a ball-in-hand approach, which is about having a go at the opposition. They use the width of the field and can be direct, and ask questions all over the pitch.
“They play with a lot of freedom, so if their passes stick on the day, they can come back and score after you score. So they don’t feel scoreboard pressure.
“What we’ve learnt is to not allow soft moments in the game. Stupid penalty, simple turnover, unnecessarily offsides, things like that need to be curbed to a minimum. Being at our best and really tidy.”
Cape Times