DHL Western Province coach John Dobson was proud of the way his team stood up under pressure to secure a win against the Cell C Sharks at DHL Newlands.

DHL Western Province coach John Dobson was proud of the way his team stood up under pressure to secure a win against the Cell C Sharks at DHL Newlands on Saturday.

Dobson’s team went into half-time trailing by three points and having lost both hooker Scarra Ntubeni and No.8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe to injury, but they still managed to score three tries in the second half to hand the visitors from Durban their first defeat of the season.

The DHL Western Province coach pointed out that they were playing a quality outfit after suffering significant losses, which made the way they pulled together in the second half all the more satisfying.

“We have to bear in mind that we played against what was basically a Super Rugby pack with a lot of experience, and with our pack that is not the case.

“By half-time, since last week we had lost both our centres, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Scarra Ntubeni and Oli Kebble who are all up there in the top playmakers in the team.

“To take those guys out and stand up like we did in the second half was really credit to them,” he said.

On the injury front, Dobson confirmed that Ntubeni is not likely to play again this year after injuring his Achilles tendon, whilst Notshe rolled his ankle.

“Scarra has got a significant Achilles injury, he still has to go for scans but I don’t think we will see him playing rugby for a long time.

“Notshe we are not sure of, he rolled his ankle,” he said.

With Huw Jones having missed the match due to a hamstring strain, and Oli Kebble (hip flexor) and Nizaam Carr (shoulder) also out of action, the injury list is a growing concern for Dobson.

“The injuries are significant, to me Oli Kebble has the potential to be the best loosehead in the world, Huw Jones is an international, Scarra was just starting to find his feet and Notshe has just come back from the Springbok squad,” he said.

Despite those challenges, the DHL Western Province coach said that the win has given his team some much-needed confidence as they prepare for a trip to face the defending champion Xerox Golden Lions at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Friday.

“Our biggest issue with this team was confidence, it has been a horrendous week, the pressure has been enormous.

“We knew we had the talent but the guys were just used to losing, so it was about getting confidence, and it is a very happy changeroom now,” he added.