Coach Allister Coetzee is looking for a cure for Western Province’s bipolar displays after they stuttered to a 36-12 victory over Griquas at Newlands on Saturday.
After coming off their first loss of the season against the Lions, WP produced a 30-minute spell of scintillating rugby. The home side showed plenty of intent and blew the visitors away with their power upfront and their speed out wide.
But, after taking a 24-0 lead, the Cape side lost the plot a bit against a Griquas side that should have been put to the sword on a lovely spring afternoon in the Mother City.
After three tries from run-on debutants Justin Geduld and Sikhumbuzo Notshe and veteran tighthead prop Brok Harris, WP seemed to force things a bit.
They showed great patience on attack for their first three touchdowns, but bad option-taking and quite a few handling errors let them down for most of the second half.
The men from the Northern Cape managed two tries in this period. But really they should have left Newlands with nothing more than a nice view of the Newlands pitch from behind their own posts.
WP, though, managed to get their bonus point on the hour mark when Notshe scored his second try from another powerful maul. And the nimble-footed maestro Cheslin Kolbe added a little gloss with another try after the final hooter to give the Newlands fans something to smile about on their way home.
“I was very happy with the way we started, and five points at home is obviously mission accomplished. But I’m not 100 percent happy with the performance, especially not the last 50 minutes of the match,” Coetzee said.
“We started well and dropped off a bit. I think our basics dropped off, because we were really clinical at the start in every aspect of the game.
“This is something we have to address as a team. When we have that cushion, we allow the opposition to get in-between us.”
Last week Coetzee warned Griquas that his speedy back three would make them pay if they kicked poorly. And he was true to his word, as Sevens stars Cheslin Kolbe and Justin Geduld ran an up-and-under back at the visitors in the first minute that almost led to a try.
However, Geduld would score the first try in the sixth minute after a patient build up from WP saw Kolbe set up the left winger with a lovely pass to run the ball in. Geduld showed glimpses of his talent in his first Currie Cup start. And don’t let his size fool you, the Sevens star has great upper-body strength and tackles and rucks as hard as he runs.
Notshe was excellent in his unfamiliar role in the No 6 jersey, attacking the breakdown and making sure that Province got quick ball. And he was rewarded with two tries from WP mauls, with the first one coming in the 16th minute.
“Notshe has done really well. He turned over a number of balls,” Coetzee said.
“It was good to see how he executed his role this weekend. A player who can play towards the ball is what the team needed. His job was to get us quick ball from the breakdown.
“He is still a young player and he can play either seven or eight. But it was impressive how he adapted this weekend as an opensider.”
Brok Harris then bulldozed his way over following a great line-break by captain Juan de Jongh in the 26th minute to give WP a 24-0 lead.
WP, though, looked a bit lost after halftime, which allowed Griquas into the match.
Ruann Lerm scored a tidy lineout move set up by former Province player Hilton Lobberts. The visitors then scored a breakout try shortly before the end through Abrie Griesel.
But Province would have the last say when the exciting Kolbe started and finished a counter attack after the hooter. - Cape Times