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Coetzee happy to take the points

PUBLISHED: September 22, 2013


The conditions were tough, and the game itself was a bit of a scrappy affair, but DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee admitted to being happy to take the points against GWK Griquas on Friday evening.

DHL WP made it five wins from seven starts in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup, with a hard-fought 19-13 win over a plucky Griquas team at DHL Newlands on Friday.

Both teams scored one try each, but Province found themselves trailing at half-time, before a 50th-minute Nic Groom and the boot(s) of Kurt Coleman (11 points) and Demetri Catrakilis (one penalty) saw them home.

“It was a messy game, we made a lot of mistakes, but we’re happy to take the points,” Coetzee told www.wprugby.com on Friday.

“We could have done better if we didn’t try to do too much with ball in hand. (But) a lot of credit must go the players because they showed lots of character,” added the WP boss.

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“We’re not happy with the way we played although I’m pleased with a few things, most notably the way we contested the line-out ball, but we didn’t get the rewards at maul-time or scrum-time. I felt at one stage we had the dominant scrum, but, in general, we will take the four points in a messy game.”

Province remain the only unbeaten team in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup, but their coach admitted: “One has to feel for this Griquas side, they’ve lost so many close games.

“We saw how determined they were to win tonight. They defended well, but at the same time our work-rate was not as good as last week (when we beat the Bulls in Pretoria).

“If we feel like this after winning matches… I can tell you I’d rather be in this position,” continued Coetzee. “This competition is about taking your points. We will take our points, but we know we need to make a lot of improvements and be more accurate on the day in our next game (against the Cheetahs).”

Meanwhile, powerhouse flanker Rynhardt Elstadt missed the Griquas match with a shoulder injury, with Currie Cup debutant Rayn Smid replacing him in the starting line-up at the 11th hour.

However, Elstadt should be back for his team’s next assignment – against the FS Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next Friday – along with squad captain Deon Fourie who has missed his team’s last two matches with a rib injury.

Stand-in captain De Kock Steenkamp took a knock on Friday, but there were no serious injuries after the game against Griquas, whilst forward Michael Rhodes will be also be back in the selection frame after his one-game suspension.