Kings coach tells players to 'step up'

Southern Kings coach Deon Davids (left) and captain Schalk Ferreira. Photo: Twitter (@SouthernKingsSA)

Southern Kings coach Deon Davids (left) and captain Schalk Ferreira. Photo: Twitter (@SouthernKingsSA)

Published Feb 24, 2017

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PRETORIA - There always seems to be a constant dark cloud hanging over the Southern Kings Super Rugby campaigns since they first played in the competition in 2013.

First it was the noose of relegation followed by self-destructing elements within their administration and now it is talk of a possible axing of two or three teams for a trimmed down and competitive Super Rugby competition of the future.

Through all of this the Kings have somehow survived and to a lesser extent thrived.

And with a full preseason that was without incident and coach Deon Davids able to work with the bulk of his squad, the Kings seem ready to prove their worth in the competition not just for this year but as one of the teams of the future.

That future will start on Saturday at their home base of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth where they face the might of Argentinean rugby in the form of the Jaguares.

The star-studded Jaguares side may not be their strongest with the likes of Juan Martin Hendandez, Nicolas Sanchez and Martin Landajo all out injured, the Kings will have their best chance this season of making an emphatic statement of intent that they are no longer the whipping boys but a team to be wary of.

Their results from last year can easily be deceiving with two wins out of their 15 matches and finishing just one place above wooden spooners the Sunwolves but much of that had to do with the boardroom politics that almost saw them not take to the field.

In the latter matches of the competition, there were signs of improvement and a growing self-belief that had opposition teams having to fight until the death but the lack of resources, depth and experience was always going to be their undoing.

It would be unfair to say losing became a habit for the team but it was an unfortunate consequence of what was unfolding in the offices but in fleeting moments on the field the warning signs were there that a few wins under their belts, the Kings could become that team not to take for granted.

That is what coach Davids is looking for this season at cultivation of a winning culture while allowing the abundance of talent within his team to come to the fore and dispel the notion that many of the players are surplus to requirement for some of the bigger South African franchises.

“Winning is a culture just like losing and for us it is important that we go out there full of confidence in ourselves and what we can bring,” said Davids.

“We understand that we are playing against a quality side and we will have to focus on ourselves and what we want to bring and how we are going to do it. We are looking forward to expressing ourselves and seeing some of our experienced players and the youngsters getting an opportunity to play Super Rugby.”

In the same fixture last year in the “Friendly City” the Kings showed plenty of fight and intent against a side that had posted over 70 points against them in Buenos Aires and Davids will be asking for a similar, if not better, performance that saw them run out 29-22 winners for their second win of the campaign.

What Davids wants from his side is a performance worthy of a Super Rugby team starting from the dominance at set-pieces to playing a physical game at speed.

“This is Super Rugby; we must step up. We expect a very physical and high tempo game and from our set-pieces we must ensure that we handle that battle,” he said.

“We must also step up to ensure that we contest the battle of the collisions. It is going to be hard and physical but I think we are prepared for that and the guys are looking forward to getting stuck into them.”

Beating the Jaguares will not only serve as a massive confidence booster but it will send out a timely warning that the Kings won’t go quietly into the rugby wilderness and they are better off from surviving the adversity of the last five years when everyone thought they were dead and buried.

Kings team: Chrysander Botha, Makazole Mapimpi, Berton Klaasen, Waylon Murray, Malcolm Jaer, Lionel Cronje, Louis Schreuder, Ruan Lerm, Stefan Willemse, Andisa Ntsila, Mzwanele Zito, Irne Herbst, Ross Geldenhuys, Michael Willemse, Schalk Ferreira (captain). Replacements: Martin Bezuidenhout, Schalk van der Merwe, Chris Heiberg, Tyler Paul, Chris Cloete, Rudi van Rooyen, Masixole Banda, Luzuko Vulindlu

Jaguares team: Joaquín Tuculet, Matías Orlando, Matías Moroni, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Santiago Cordero, Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Gonzalo Bertranou, Leonardo Senatore, Pablo Matera, Tomás Lezana, Matías Alemanno, Guido Petti, Felipe Arregui, Agustín Creevy (captain), Lucas Noguera Paz. Replacements: Julián Montoya, Santiago García Botta, Cristian Bartoloni, Marcos Kremer, Rodrigo Báez, Felipe Ezcurra, Santiago González Iglesias, Ramiro Moyano

Kick-off: 5.15pm

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

TV: SS1

Independent Media

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