Newly-appointed kicking coach Vlok Cilliers has a simple goal now that he is back at Western Province – he wants to make a difference.
Cilliers was on Monday unveiled as the union’s new kicking coach and will be responsible for the implementation and execution of the kicking structures within Western Province Rugby.
Gareth Wright, the WP kicking coach at Vodacom Cup, Under-21 and Under-19 level, will work closely with Cilliers to ensure those structures are replicated throughout the union.
Speaking after Monday’s announcement, Cilliers told www.wprugby.com: “I want to come in and make a difference here. I know it’s a big task ahead, but it’s one that I am ready for.”
Cilliers will join the DHL Stormers (Vodacom Super Rugby) and DHL Western Province (Absa Currie Cup) management teams and looking ahead to his role, he explained further: “It will be a big challenge for me.
“Of course, it’s a different challenge here in comparison to Pretoria, where the ball flies further because of the altitude,” he added.
“In Cape Town there is also the rain, and a lot of wind, and sometimes the ground cuts up as well. All of those are factors that kickers have to contend with.
“I’ve already made a few plans with drills to work around those things. What’s important is that a kicker must understand his role – what type of kick to kick when, when must it be along the ground and when must it be in the air, which one of the 13 kicks that a player has to choose from should be employed in a given situation.”
Meanwhile, Western Province Director of Rugby Gert Smal has praised the DHL Stormers after their recent run of form which has seen them go unbeaten since mid-May.
“What we have seen recently is very much what I was looking for,” said Smal, when asked about his three and a half months in the job in Cape Town.
“I think we are getting the balance right at the moment – when to run and when to pass, when to hold onto possession and when to kick. You are can see that the guys are really starting to enjoy the type of rugby we are playing.”
