With all the talk of selections, weather conditions and playing away from home in the 2012 Absa Currie Cup Final, DHL WP head coach Allister Coetzee is quietly going about his planning ahead of Saturday.
DHL Western Province will face the Sharks at Mr Price Kings Park this weekend (kick-off 17h00) and coach Coetzee is aware of the task at hand and the many hurdles facing his team.
However, the WP boss prefers to focus on what he can control – like the set-piece, the breakdown and his team’s discipline; all crucial aspects ahead of a Grand Final in the anticipated wet conditions.
Said Coetzee: “The set-pieces will be massively important especially in wet conditions. You have got to make sure that you can get your ball and then you have got to make sure that you use your ball to get in the right areas of the field.
“Most people think the Sharks are this team that play this running brand of rugby but they are the team that kicked more than the Bulls, so I don’t think one should be misled by anything.
“We have got our plans in place and we have got to go execute that – the little battles that I am talking about – it’s the set-piece, it’s the breakdown, it’s where you want to play the game.”
The Sharks have a host of Springboks at their disposal, with coach John Plumtree selecting 12 Test Springboks in his matchday 22 – five in the starting pack alone.
Coetzee added: “We have got to be prepared for everything that our opponents would chuck our way this week, it’s really going to be a big game, they’re a quality side. Their play is built on power and pace and we have got to match that.
“We have got to be accurate in the conditions, we have got to kick well, we have got to chase well, be good in the air, our breakdown work has got to be accurate also and make sure that we give (halfbacks) Nic Groom and Demetri Catrakilis a good platform and good ball.
“You can only be a true champion if you go away from home and win a Currie Cup trophy. So it is really a matter of applying and understanding that the pressure will be there.
“We understand that we mustn’t lose our temper or our cool and get sucked into off the ball stuff, I think that’s vitally important because discipline is crucial.”
The Sharks front row boasts 80 Test caps – between props Beast Mtawarira (41) and Jannie du Plessis (39) – whilst hooker Craig Burden toured with the Springboks during the Rugby Championship without getting any game time and lock Steven Sykes has been in the Bok set-up before without actually playing in Green & Gold.
The WP front row, meanwhile, boasts an average age of less than 21 years per player – with Steven Kitshoff (20), Scarra Ntubeni (21) and Frans Malherbe (21) all still eligible for the WP Under-21 side – and although Eben Etzebeth has had everyone singing his praises in 2012, he turns 21 on Monday only.
Coetzee, however, has plenty of faith in his young front rowers, saying: “I think the young three (in the front row) have done really well, they have scrummed well, even last week. I am very pleased with the way they have gone and it’s another challenge again for them this week.
“It’s a matter of the whole pack, not just the front row. The cohesion is so important, we worked last week and this week as well so there’s good synergy.
“We understand how tough and difficult it will be. We have spoken as a pack and as a team, the players have to own their performances – that’s what it’s about in finals.
“You have got to be responsible for getting the scrum sequences right and keeping your discipline so they have got to earn their performance this weekend.
“I don’t mind any weather conditions – that is one thing that you can’t control so we have got to be mentally prepared for that. A dry day would probably be good from a spectators point of view but the game is played in many ways.”
CLICK HERE for the DHL WP line-up for the Absa Currie Cup Final!
