The young players for Western Province tested

Backs and Attack Coach Dawie Snyman says DHL Western Province continue to show significant growth as a team and as individuals following a tough encounter at DHL Stadium.

DHL Western Province fought hard in the rain but went down 26-19 against the defending Carling Currie Cup champions Toyota Cheetahs on Saturday.

This week’s challenge for DHL Western Province is a clash with the Fidelity ADT Lions at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.

No substitute for experience

“Against the Vodacom Bulls [two weeks ago], we started really well and then lost momentum, and then they kicked on. And the same thing happened against the Toyota Cheetahs. It’s probably a case of experience, with a number of players not used to being in these scenarios and playing against good teams. But it’s what we want to achieve with this Carling Currie Cup, getting experience for those players. There has been growth from them and there are individuals playing better every weekend. We need to put that 80-minute performance together, and we have the right plan to put teams under pressure, which was evident in the first half against the Toyota Cheetahs. It’s now about putting that second half together and getting over the line. And you can practise as much as you want but it’s in matches where you’re really tested.”

Building squad depth

“We’ve identified the last 30 minutes of matches where we’ve fallen off the pace, and depth of experience on the field and playing with a youthful side has factored into that. It’s those pressure moments that win matches. We’ll start introducing more of our senior players into the team in the last few matches of the Carling Currie Cup, and that will help address that. But at the end of the day we’re building depth, and not just for this season but for a few more years.”

Dewaldt Duvenage to the rescue

“Dewaldt’s been training with DHL Western Province for the past few weeks just to stay fit, and then we had two injuries [to Asad Moos and Imad Khan] at scrumhalf so we turned to him. I coached him during the Carling Currie Cup in 2017, so we have a good understanding. He’s a very clever player and understands the game, and is a senior player too.”

Injury concerns

“Willie Engelbrecht had a back spasm so he looked to be struggling a bit. Justin Geduld got a shot to his cheekbone so he’ll go for scans and we’ll see what the results are from that. The rest of the players are fine, just some bumps and bruises. Immy’s injury doesn’t look too bad, it seems to just be a hamstring but we didn’t want to take any chances.”