John Dobson’s DHL Western Province Vodacom Cup team is going into Saturday’s match against the EP Kings XV with one thing on the mind: earning a victory.
The 2012 champions suffered a disappointing 7-25 loss to the Sharks XV in Durban last weekend and they are, according to their coach, hurting after the defeat.
“As a coaching unit, this was just our second-ever league defeat in four seasons of Vodacom Cup rugby,” said Dobson, ahead of this Saturday’s Vodacom Cup, Round Three meeting with EP at City Park (kick-off 15h30).
“But it’s not about us (coaches). The players are hurting even more and they would love nothing more than bouncing back from last week’s defeat with a win this week.
“The scoreline from last week doesn’t make for great reading, but we could’ve got the result had we held onto the ball at key moments against a more experienced Sharks team.”
Whilst the team’s pride is hurting from last week, injuries continue to hurt the squad too with Entienne Swanepoel becoming the third tighthead prop to suffer an injury this season – joining Justin Ackerman and Os Hamman on the sidelines.
“Entienne hurt his shoulder,” Dobson told www.wprugby.com, “he could be out for two weeks at this stage, perhaps more.
“We have a bit of a crisis at hooker, too, with Eital Bredenkamp joining the walking wounded (along with Freddie Kirsten) and, of course, Mike Willemse still on his way back from a long-term injury and Stephan Coetzee overseas with the DHL Stormers.
“Chad Solomon has returned to UCT for their Varsity Cup semifinal, meaning that Michael Kennedy and Renier Marais now have an opportunity to lay claim to the No.2 jersey,” added the DHL WP coach.
“We’re definitely at our lowest in terms of resources, with two Western Cape universities in the Varsity Cup play-offs and the DHL Stormers away on tour, but if we can get through the next two weeks, against EP and then Border (away), we should be okay.”
DHL Western Province will return to City Park this week, after their away defeat to the Sharks, no doubt hoping to build on their season-opening 16-8 win over the Boland Cavaliers two weeks ago.
Said Dobson: “We really do enjoy playing at City Park and are always thankful for the amazing support we get there and to the organisers who always make us feel comfortable.
“The Kings are always a tough team to play against, no matter where, but we are determined to bounce back from last week and to get back to winning ways.”
* Entry on Saturday at City Park is R20 for adults and R10 for kids. City Park is based on the corner of Thornton and Lawson Roads in Crawford – easily accessible from the M5 and N2 freeways.
The DHL Western Province team for Saturday (v EP Kings XV) is as follows:
15. Tiger Bax
14. JP Lewis
13. Johnny Kotze
12. Michael van der Spuy
11. Devon Williams
10. Gary van Aswegen
9. Dylon Frylinck
8. Rayn Smid
7. Sikhumbuzo Nothse
6. Rohan Kitshoff (captain)
5. Jan Uys
4. Tazz Fuzani
3. Christo van Wyk
2. Michael Kennedy
1. Alistair Vermaak
Replacements:
16. Renier Marais
17. Deacon Chowles
18. Carel du Preez
19. Reuben Johannes
20. Ridhaa Damon
21. Kyle Lombard
22. Janco Gunter
Referee: Rodney Boneparte
* WANT TO GO ON TOUR WITH THE DHL STORMERS NEXT YEAR? CLICK HERE NOW!
