The luxury of securing top spot on the log already could see Western Province rest some key players for Saturday’s final league game against the Sharks at Newlands.
Province pulled off a dramatic win in the dying minutes of the past weekend’s clash against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, with right wing Kobus van Wyk showing off superb soccer skills to control the ball until it rolled under the posts, when he dived on it to score the winning try in a 34-29 triumph.
The bonus-point victory moved WP to 39 points, eight ahead of the Lions in second place, so the Cape side cannot lose their No 1 position and have secured home-ground advantage for next weekend’s semi-final and a possible final.
That could see a number of stars such as props Alistair Vermaak and Pat Cilliers, loose forwards Nizaam Carr and Michael Rhodes, and perhaps even captain Juan de Jongh take a breather for this weekend’s clash against the Sharks.
“The plan will be discussed tomorrow, but I think whatever we will do, we will do everything to set us up for success in the playoffs – be that resting a few players, then we will do so. That’s the main focus,” Coetzee told the Cape Times yesterday.
“There’s basically nothing we can gain from the Sharks game.
“We want to give ourselves the best shot at the playoffs.”
But in an little twist yesterday, the South African Rugby Union announced that 20 contracted Springboks will be withdrawn from the final league game and playoffs, and they will attend a training camp in Stellenbosch from October 20-24.
While it was made known a while ago that those experienced Boks with contracts won’t play Currie Cup rugby, such as captain Jean de Villiers for example, WP won’t be able to call on centre Damian de Allende, who was awarded a contract during the international season.
It is somewhat puzzling for someone like De Allende to not play for WP as he has been out of favour for the Boks for the last three Tests – against New Zealand in Wellington and Johannesburg and Australia at Newlands.
It is also a surprise that Handré Pollard, who has started those same three Tests at flyhalf, does not have a Bok contract, the net result of which is that he will be able to play for the Bulls in the next three weeks. Powerhouse tighthead prop Marcel van der Merwe wasn’t handed a Bok contract either, so he will feature for the Bulls from this week as well.
And WP are likely to face Frans Ludeke’s team in the semi-finals as the Pretoria side are fourth on 23 points, two ahead of the Cheetahs but six behind the Sharks, and they take on the lowly Griquas at Loftus this weekend. The Lions are second with 31 points.
So perhaps Province should look into appealing the decision to prevent De Allende from playing, as he could come in handy after current WP inside centre Jaco Taute took a knock to his ribs against the Cheetahs.
Coetzee feels that it is not too serious, though, and that Taute should be ready for the semi-finals and could play against the Sharks as well.
The Province pack were excellent in the scrums and efficient in the lineouts against the Cheetahs, while WP showed good continuity on attack with ball-in-hand.
But they made a number of defensive errors and let in four tries, so they will need to shore up their usually watertight defence for the semis.
“It was one of those games where we were in it right from the start, and a few defensive mistakes and exit mistakes kept us under pressure. But then we got on to the scoreboard immediately, and at least that was a good thing – that we came back every time they scored,” Coetzee said.
“Remember that these okes were desperate to stay in the competition, and when last have we got a bonus-point win in Bloem? Or even just a win, so in the context of the competition, it was a very good win. We know that we made a lot of mistakes, and some people may say that we were lucky, and maybe we were lucky to get out of jail with this one
“But when a team can still turn it around and hang in there, and show character like that, then we are on the right track in terms of preparations for the playoffs.”
Experienced hooker Tiaan Liebenberg will also be available for selection this week after recovering from back problems. - Cape Tines