WP seek Jozi revenge
20 Oct 2011
Allister Coetzee says WP will need to be more accurate if they want to overcome the humiliation they experienced against the Lions a fortnight ago.
In their second last round-robin fixture, Province suffered their biggest loss of the tournament at the hands of the Lions as they were thumped 42-25 in Johannesburg. The hosts were rampant on attack, running in five tries against the WP defence, which is usually the most solid part of their game.
And this wasn’t a rare occurrence.
WP currently have a six-year losing streak at Ellis Park in the Currie Cup. Their last domestic victory there was a 38-23 win in 2005. In last year’s tournament, the Lions also gave Province their biggest hiding – a 46-28 thumping which saw Elton Jantjies shine at flyhalf.
That said, WP will boast six Springboks in their match 22 for the semi-final clash against the Lions this Saturday. This will be a big boost for the Cape side, as a Bok-laden Sharks side proved with their 53-9 drubbing of the Lions in Durban last weekend.
However, Coetzee believes his team will have to focus on their own game to end their Jozi curse and qualify for back-to-back Currie Cup finals.
‘We have to ensure we are accurate in the way we execute our game plan this Saturday,’ Coetzee told keo.co.za. ‘This is the play-offs. There are no bonus points to chase, so we have to keep things simple. We have to make sure we have the better possession and territorial percentages.
‘Our scrum and defensive game are two things we need to work on. We weren’t happy with our scrum against the Pumas and will have to improve on that. That last 20 minutes in our defeat to the Lions two weeks ago also still hurts. We were humiliated. Our defence needs to be better; that will depend on our execution and decision-making on the day.’
Coetzee also added that there wasn’t much significance to the Lions loss to the Sharks last weekend.
‘With their top spot on the log already secured, [head coach] John Mitchell made some changes to his team to give other players opportunities. He’ll have his strongest team facing us this weekend.’
Skipper Schalk Burger, one of the six Boks in the team, said the key battle will be between the forwards.
‘It’s a cliché, but everything starts up front,’ Burger also told this site. ‘We have to set the platform for our backline. We weren’t totally happy with our performance against the Pumas, but the guys are fired up for the match against the Lions. The team that makes the least mistakes will win the game.
‘This is finals rugby, and it’s never nice to lose. We haven’t won the Currie Cup since 2001, and I’ve been there through all those disappointing seasons. Whether our defeats were because of bad luck, bad timing or bad rugby, I’m hoping things will go our way this year.’
By Gareth Duncan
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46 Comments
20 Oct 2011, 11:20 am
so who exactly said “WP seeks Jozi revenge?”
gonna be a hard game at altitude…
if WP are gonna win it, they will have to bring their A game from all 22 players and will have to get a lead in the first half to give themselves breathing space to hold off the lions in the last 20 when the altitude klaps attitude…
either team can take it…
Go Province…!!
20 Oct 2011, 12:00 pm
Can’t wait! My nerves is shot! The Lions need to make that first time tackles and I think the team who wins the collisions will win the game. The breakdown will be very important. The Lions have the edge in the scrums and WP the backs. Performances of the flyhalves will have a big impact.
Op die Vaal!!
20 Oct 2011, 12:31 pm
Got my tickets. I hope those Province reserves are ready for some serious (clean) verbal abuse.
Go Lions!
20 Oct 2011, 12:35 pm
@HHS(Hop Hop Spinnekop)-3: Jissie, wens ek was daar! Sal maar my biertjie saam met my WP vriend drink voor die TV…mag dalk die einde van ons vriendskap beteken….
20 Oct 2011, 12:36 pm
Province by 5
20 Oct 2011, 12:37 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-4: Jy sien daar is jou probleem. Jy het ‘n vriend wat vir die WP skree. Grap net… ek gaan juis saam met ‘n paar WP vriende wat van die Kaap af kom.
20 Oct 2011, 12:41 pm
Altitude will play a role. Those bottom-feeders don’t like the rarified air.
20 Oct 2011, 13:40 pm
@ufo(ufo)-1:
gosh! i think you are giving the lions far too much credit to be honest.
put their season into perspective as regards the qualitiy of opposition that was available to them for most of the tournament. yes, its gonna be a scrap but wp will come out on top at the end.
its a bit like saying france can actually take the blacks on sunday…ja they’ll they might be competitive and ja it might be a scrap but at the end of the day one teams just got too much for the other to stay in the game the full 80.
and thats the story of the lions for as long as there’s been lions…until they win something i’ll wait to see it to believe it.
20 Oct 2011, 13:47 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-7: Yeah we prefer our air clear of dust and pollution and our water acid free…
Lions more settled and will be so up for this…
Still, Province by 4.
20 Oct 2011, 13:54 pm
Well, the “real” WP team vs the “real” Lions team, the Stormers have won 11in a row against the Lions….
20 Oct 2011, 13:59 pm
As die Lions die verloor onder 30 punte hou, sal dit ‘n wen wees vir hulle. Die “Vodacom Cup” is laas week al verby.
20 Oct 2011, 14:04 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-8:
hehehe… well i hope like hell you’re right bud…
guess that after the last 10 years of WP/stormers record… i’m a little gun-shy…. and i never take any game for granted…
we can just as easily blow it as win it if the guys leave the brains on the plane… their mojo in the baggage… and the lungs in cape town…
20 Oct 2011, 14:24 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-7:
bejeezuz!
they dont like the air they breath everyday?
they must find it hard to live…
20 Oct 2011, 14:31 pm
Interesting that we perform so weak against the lions in recent years , is it taken into context though ? Who in the WP team was on bok duty etc etc. I for one seem to remember us dominating the Lions in recent years or am I just talking bout super rugby here ?? Anyways , I honestly feel WP should win this game easily with the boks back. The team is stronger and except at scrummie this is possibly WP strongest team for a while now.
Is it not lekka to have some decent rugby on the telly now also ? What WC ? lol
20 Oct 2011, 14:41 pm
@Lions_is_kak_kak_honde_honde_kak(suffer_guy)-11: You’ll do anything to get a laugh. Except say something funny. Try again dingbat.
20 Oct 2011, 14:49 pm
I just think that the Lions over the years, that you guys like to refer to ALL the time, was in shambles. There were more coaches than players and there were more contracted non playing players than supporters! This time around the Lions are more settled, well coached and for once plays for the jersey. Most of the supporters on this site with the exception of UFO and Grant10, is so over confident, that I would love to see your arrogant faces on Monday, but then again that is not going to happen. Buy some humble pie visvoete and enjoy the wait again. If we do lose, I will be the first to congratulate you guys, which in turn will not happen from your side. Unfortuntely Keo.co.za has been hijacked by arrogant WP supporters and makes blogging on this site difficult. But don’t worry, the Lions supporters will keep the balance here and keep this site a rugby site.
20 Oct 2011, 15:41 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-16: I said we’d win by 4 and gave credit to you guys. That’s not arrogance based on our team’s performances in the Super 15.
Check out posts by RL for arrogance…
20 Oct 2011, 15:50 pm
Don’t get me wrong, not all of the supporters are bigmouthed, but the majority is shocking to say the least…
20 Oct 2011, 15:56 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-16: If we lose I will be here on Monday to congratulate ur team , Keo has not been hijacked by arrogant WP supporters , only rugby people who call it as we see it , most have been here since the inception of keo and called it the same over the years. When the Bulls were running over all we said back then they were favourites , when the lions were the best………nooooooo wait keo was not up and running that long…….bwaa haa haa , speel maa net boeta , we all just passionate supporters and yes maybe some blinded by provincialism but honestly I cannot see WOP lose this game against this Lions team.
20 Oct 2011, 16:14 pm
Agree Sparticus, but it would be nice if there was decent banter between supporters and not this **** going on at the moment! For me this game will go down to the wire. If this was at Newlands, I would have gone and mowed the lawn between 17:00 and 19:00!
20 Oct 2011, 16:39 pm
lions by 8
wp cant scrum
you cant scrum you suck the hind t it.
20 Oct 2011, 16:46 pm
Habana is my biggest concern & Loberts! … WP by only 15!
20 Oct 2011, 16:59 pm
@grant10(grant10)-21: schalk is an opensider, will show minnie who is baas when he pilfers 7 balls on saturday
20 Oct 2011, 17:00 pm
@grant10(grant10)-21: with schalla @ 1st receiver wp will have all the gainline advantage
20 Oct 2011, 17:31 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-23: if schalk is an opensider then plod is a tighthead!
20 Oct 2011, 17:35 pm
@grant10(grant10)-25: Geez give it a break on Smit already ! He was the greatest rugby captain for the Boks ever and has achieved probably 1000 times more than you will ever , he is a humble being and a great ambassador for SA people , he is a peoples favorite regardless of color and has achieved greatness as a player !!
Honestly you nothing but a whinger !! Smit cant scrum , smit is too fat , smit dont eat brown bread , smit wears blue socks…………..jassis man !! The glass is sometimes half full also !
20 Oct 2011, 17:37 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-20: No worries, there are some decent (not Grant10) folks around. Grant and some others u have to tolerate though cos life is such that some people are pigeons and some are statures…..grant is a stature…….
20 Oct 2011, 17:42 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-16:
and I’m not sure where this WP arrogance comes from??? no super title, no cc since 2001, but they gloat with all their great players. I predict no title for WP this season, and more spending end of season. And a little birdie whispered in my ear this morning that the mighty Schalk has never lifted a trophy since joining the weepee
anyway, its gonna be tight, but I have to agree with loyal lion, the lions have not been this committed, focussed, and well trained in a very long time. JM has installed self belief, and there is a lot of trust between the players and coach. Do not underestimate this facet of the game, especially in the play-offs.
20 Oct 2011, 18:05 pm
@Lions_is_kak_kak_honde_honde_kak(suffer_guy)-22:
Lobberts isn’t even playing.
20 Oct 2011, 18:07 pm
@14261774(14261774)-28:
As far as I’m aware, Schalk never “joined” WP, he grew up here.
20 Oct 2011, 18:17 pm
The Lions outfit is a very tight unit. Well used to playing with each other, combo’s work really well, good talent and a winning culture (finally),
We saw what happened last year when the returning Springboks joined the CC playoffs,
It can be as much of a disruption than an asset!
20 Oct 2011, 18:22 pm
Think this game is going to be brutal, the Lions a bit humiliated after the Sharks doshed them are going to be up to it, thinks its anybodys game.
20 Oct 2011, 18:48 pm
For me WP did pretty well with the personal to work with. They were heavily depleted at the end and I never thought that they would have made the semis. In saying that, this WP side is a totally different prospect and this is going to be brutal. I just hope that the ref does not influence the game. Nice match ups in the form of Schalk and Minnie, Hollenbach and De Villiers. Hope my boytjies can pull this one through!
20 Oct 2011, 19:06 pm
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-33: Yes it’s been a great opportunity to blood some “unknowns” this year.
Some have done well, others need some developing still, but that’s nice to be able to establish.
20 Oct 2011, 19:29 pm
WP is die welpies se baas. Die WP sal wen met 15 +. Die brandsiek haasbek leeus gaan goed gebliksem word. Wat het 2000 bene en drie tande? … Al die leeu ondesteuners op ellispark.
20 Oct 2011, 20:19 pm
@Slappes(Slappes)-35: Ja nee… ironies dat dit van ‘n WP supporter af kom. Tande is mos soos wit goud daar in die Kaap of hoe?
20 Oct 2011, 20:31 pm
I think the Mighty Lions are awesome!!
20 Oct 2011, 22:16 pm
@Tuna(Tuna)-36: Bliksem..lag ek nou my gat af…dit was seker die beste reply op ‘n sinnelose post!! Well done Tuna..jou yster!
20 Oct 2011, 22:18 pm
@I am a stormer(I am a stormer)-37: Tx mate, what do you think of Habana’s contract renewal..nogal for 3 years? I think there is so much talent, WP should have given a new player a chance..
20 Oct 2011, 23:14 pm
3 year contract 4 Habana, think it must be a mistake, that would be crazy at his age surely, he has not set the world on fire 4 a long time.
20 Oct 2011, 23:39 pm
Im more exited for the Currie Cup semi than the WC final, because I see a All Black win. I am also exited for the 3rd place game tomorrow but that may be because I’m welsh… but still… come on WP lets win the cup and end a dissapointing 2011 season of rugby for the teams i root for!
21 Oct 2011, 00:06 am
Obviously the Lions will look like a tight,focussed unit if they basically playing their SUPER Rugby team against the top unions missing 30+ Springboks(including injured Boks)…….Where did the Lions finish in the SA conference???they obviously look flashy against Griquas,Pumas,Leopards and the other Unions “B” teams a few weeks ago a WP “C” basically beat them at Newlands.
21 Oct 2011, 07:38 am
Jaco Peyper will win the game.
21 Oct 2011, 11:13 am
@AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-42: Your memory is shocking! This excact team started in the Currrie Cup last year and did not make the finals. They then went on to play Superugby with the same team. Now you tell me with all of your limited knowlegde, did this team progress or what? Did this team not push your team twice to the limit in S15? C’mon boet, your argument is flawed and is littered with fear that this “useless” bunch might just smash your team out of the Park! I will see you on Monday plonker!
22 Oct 2011, 01:07 am
@Loyal Lion(Loyal Lion)-44: Strength vs Strength when was the last time the Lion beat Province/Stormers………..your beloved Lions will be the worst of the SA Super rugby teams again next year Wanker
22 Oct 2011, 08:05 am
Are there any internet sites one can watch the CC on ?
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