Collective will won it for WP
29 Oct 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day newspaper column, says Western Province lifted the Currie Cup in Durban because they played as a team.
World Cup-winning coach Jake White was often quoted as saying the 15 best players don’t necessarily make for the best XV. Rugby, White argued, was a team game and he viewed the team as a collective.
Western Province, in beating the Sharks in the Currie Cup final in Durban, won it with a team effort. Individuals were inspirational, but it was the collective will of the team that saw them overturn a 12-3 deficit to win the title for the first time in 11 years.
Springbok and Bulls legend Victor Matfield, in summary of Province’s last minute semi-final win against the Lions a week earlier, suggested the 20m rolling maul was massive in the context of the team dynamic and that it could finally see Province turn individual potential into team reward.
There has always been a feeling among players up north that the delights of playing for Western Province (and the Stormers in Super Rugby) give players a celebrity like status in Cape Town and that the individual often stands taller than any team collective.
Brilliant individuals played for Province and the Stormers in the last decade but as a team they always fell short of success in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby. Something always seemed to be missing and Matfield felt the way this Province team worked for the win against the Lions and the way eight forwards worked in unison and refused to be beaten in the last minute of the game was something he had not seen from a Province team.
Just maybe, said Matfield, this is the start of something special.
Just maybe it is because the semi-final was not won on individual brilliance and neither was the final. Sure there inspiring individual performances, especially from lock Eben Etzebeth, but the most inspiring aspect was how the players believed in each other and played with the cohesion of players who believed that to win it they had to believe in the qualities of their team-mates.
Province were underdogs and not expected to win so they also had an advantage in that there wasn’t expectation. It does make a final easier when so few anticipate victory, even if so many hope for the victory.
The Sharks were expected to win. Their match 22 had superior pedigree. They demolished the Bulls in the semi-final and they were playing at home.
Their players also expected to win and if anything mentally they didn’t give the final the necessary respect. They will dispute this but they played like a team who believed the opposition wasn’t good enough to win. I’d argue their focus was wrongly on who they were playing instead of the fact that they were playing in a final.
The intensity and edge needed to compete and win a final wasn’t there from the Sharks. All the edge came from the visitors.
Supporters will ask how is it possible not to pitch for a final? It’s certainly not through a lack of desire. Experienced coaches always warn of the danger of players being too hyped in their preparation and mentally playing the game in the week and being drained come match day. This wasn’t one of those occasions because there wouldn’t have been doubt within the Sharks camp that they could be successful.
The Sharks coaches would have feared complacency, but no matter the caution a player has to believe he could lose if he is to ensure he doesn’t. I just don’t think it ever occurred to the Sharks players they could lose and sport continues to produces finals in which the overwhelming favourites get done in a one-off because the desire to win is not matched by the fear of potentially losing.
The better team on the day won and it’s hard to argue with a result that goes to the team that gets it right. Province got it right in the final. They deserve every ovation for the performance.
I also think Bok coach Heyneke Meyer and his selectors deserve applause for being bold enough to select London-based Saracens hooker Schalk Brits in the Bok squad.
It sends a positive message that if you play well enough you will get selected, regardless of where you are based or how old you are.
Brits has played well enough, especially in the last two seasons. Equally so the Toulouse-based former Bulls prop Gurthro Steenkamp, who is another deserving national call-up.
659 Comments
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29 Oct 2012, 21:21 pm
@assagai-540: Where you been, my little pumpkin? I’ve been worried sick. Thought you might have been blown off ou kaapse weg in this dreadful southeaster. I was about to send those baboonwatch people out to look for you.
29 Oct 2012, 21:21 pm
@NZINCHINA-549:
how does that have anything to do with you, china?
and furthermore, how is this got anything to do with squeling?
29 Oct 2012, 21:23 pm
@Transformation-542: what you talking about.. the ref..? it was plain to see who the ref was favoring .. any neutral could see with open eyes how many opportunities for points Peyper offered Sharks and how many he turned down for WP
But that wasn’t the gist of my post.. that just by the by regarding the actual inherent deep seated loathing these pseudo arsed fakefucks hold out for the team that represents the very town they goddamn live in.
two faced fakefuck pseudo enlightened pseudo intelligent runtcunty schmucks combined
29 Oct 2012, 21:23 pm
@I am a stormer-547: I think it’s about 55 000 capacity.The Lions won’t be there for the super 15 and might not exist when the CC comes around again.Personally, will be gutted if we move,but will embrace change if it happens.
29 Oct 2012, 21:26 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-552:
You moan more than a woman but surely you know this?
29 Oct 2012, 21:27 pm
one ironic outcome of peyper’s kak reffing was the try to province which, had he blown the sharks for the clear and in no way lawfully ambiguous or up to the refs discretionary interpretation – scrum penalty, would probably not have happened from the resulting penalty.
knowing province they would have attempted a kick to poles or taken a kick to touch to set up a lineout (which was working well for them).
29 Oct 2012, 21:28 pm
Just voted on that Keo pole for:
“How many Tests will the Springboks win on their end-of-year tour?”
Overwhelmingly most think its a clean sweep, i find that interesting, i mean this is Test rugby, the pride of nations, to suggest the boks will po3sklap their way to a clean sweep in the UK, in their backyards is daft. I don’t care how k@k some of those teams are.
29 Oct 2012, 21:29 pm
All you gotta do is read those two fakefucks posts, katmankunty and extraneous testicle under fakefuck pseudonym alienated nielanate, to see in clear unbridled solidarity how those two little cape town residing prick faces were baying most heartily for a sharkshit win… they almost went green with inverted jealousy and pseudo worldly wise hatred when the impossible actually happened and WP fck’d those overrated sharkshits out their own guppytank for six.
29 Oct 2012, 21:30 pm
@BokkeYouBeauties-557:
Big ask winning up north good luck
29 Oct 2012, 21:31 pm
@NZINCHINA-555:
i bet you can squel like a piggy…
29 Oct 2012, 21:32 pm
<5
29 Oct 2012, 21:32 pm
@assagai-558:
Geluk met jou span se Curriebeker Skop!
29 Oct 2012, 21:33 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-556: It happened in the first half bakkies,so ,kicking at poles would have been the only option at that stage.I really don’t see what’s your point here,unless you trying to pull a Gunther here.
29 Oct 2012, 21:34 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-560:
Bakkies stop moaning, you’ll clean sweep the northerners
29 Oct 2012, 21:34 pm
@assagai-558: I’d like to say you’ve lost your marbles, but I guess you’ve known this for a very long time. In fact, I doubt you can remember what it’s like to have a clear and lucid thought. When did things start to get messy for you?
29 Oct 2012, 21:36 pm
@BokkeYouBeauties-557: They will never defeat the Irish.When the Irish start with their rendition of ‘The fields of Athenry’ they will know that they are toast
29 Oct 2012, 21:38 pm
@victoriabok-562: dankie VB.. het ek nie vir jou so gese.. of het jy darem nie mooi geluister nie dat WP die Sharkshits sal klop Saterdag? Net soos n klein klomp van ons belowe het.. so het dit gebeur.. net so.. taamlik op n tiekie het die waarheid gedraai.. net so.
Maar dankie vir die gelukwense.. dis waardeurend.
29 Oct 2012, 21:40 pm
@assagai-553:
Kia ora Skop, went to see my Uncle who still carries the Asher name who is helping me out with my business and I got more information on the Asher family here in Nz.Seems my side of the Asher family began with Asher Asher who came to Auckland in 1835, from England but they were originally from Amsterdam,and was one of the founding fathers of Auckland and the Jewish community here. His son David Asher, my Great-great Grandfather became a trader and supplied arms to the British during the Maori Wars and went on to marry my Great Great Grandmother who was Maori from the Tauranga area where I have been to the Asher Family Jewish cemetery in Welcome Bay, a beautiful spot.They had a big family and my Great Grandfathers brothers went on to be good rugby players, with Earnie Asher being in the first Auckland side to hold the Ranfurly shield and Albert Asher becoming an International player but getting injured just before the tour of the Originals. I’m finding out some very interesting history of early Jewish settlement in Nz.
29 Oct 2012, 21:40 pm
@wnbb-563:
freedom of speech, ok.
i’m just pointing it out, nothing wrong with that.
just as much chance wp would have chanced a lineout and who know how thew game would have worked out then, or the three points and it could have gone any/either way… you may forget but it was down to the wire but for the try and two drop kicks (one of which was a hail mary).
@NZINCHINA-564:
yes china, we will.
there’s something about this team that growing by the game and without anywhere near as much cheating to contend with, i dont doubt they will.
29 Oct 2012, 21:41 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-546:
Bresler was being fed by the Beast of Burden. He had no chance to compete. The steroids got the better of Craig. Don’t judge Bresler on the faults of his hooker. The man Bok potential. No doubt. I am a WP supporter NB.
29 Oct 2012, 21:45 pm
What are they going to do when they play our U22 side next year? Oooowahaaah
29 Oct 2012, 21:47 pm
@Jinx2-570: You are right .. Bresler would be the best 2IC for Etsebeth in a combined war of attrition if they were in the same team.. he is the toughest out of the other incumbents Kruger or either of the Vd Merwe’s and would be the best combo with Etsebeth.. barring of course if Elstadt would recover to his former enforcer capacity he enjoyed last year.
I reckon Alberts should go to 4 and Etsebeth to 5 that would be the best solution for the team overall, and someone like PSDT or Bresler brought in as back up.
29 Oct 2012, 21:47 pm
@Jinx2-570:
fair enough.
wp was kookwater op die dag.
that eztebeth boy really should have gone to the bulls. he will never win a super trophy at province. bresler for me is good enough to be a shark or a stormer… not a bull
29 Oct 2012, 21:49 pm
@assagai-572:
I’m down with that. I like Alberts, but he could use a dose of creativity. Bresler and Elstadt are cut from the same cloth. Ysters.
29 Oct 2012, 21:49 pm
@Te Rangatira-568: that’s great Te Rangatira.. you got a very interesting heritage you should be pretty proud about.. strangely enough the name Asher is very close to my own.. not my surname, my other one.
cheers for that and Kia ora
29 Oct 2012, 21:51 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-573:
You’re a tough customer
But Juandre is like Pierre Spies. Pretty mediocre. Bulls should have signed Mostert. A commando!
29 Oct 2012, 21:52 pm
@Jinx2-574:
yip, agreed on alberts.
like a sneaky little no look pop pass going into the tackle or an offload on his way down would be nice.
29 Oct 2012, 21:56 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-577:
Alberts for impact. Final 30 replacing Bresler. With Brussouw on for Flo. Rev’s up 40%. Kiwi’s would be smashed to pieces.
29 Oct 2012, 21:58 pm
@Jinx2-576:
this bulls squad has got some serious ‘hardenthefuckup’ emo moments to go through as a group and as individuals. they go soft and quiet too easily when the game goes hard.
they can learn a lot by watching tapes of the 2007/09/10 team.
29 Oct 2012, 22:00 pm
@Te Rangatira-568: one thing you can say about Jewish immigrants they don’t half get around to sowing their seed far from the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden.. a beautiful maiden from an exotic island bloodline is like an intoxicating dream they simply cannot avoid.. I reckon that must have been what happened when your great great grandfather David Asher met your great great Maori grandmother … I think I know what it like.. I have a similar problem… so did King David and his son Solomon.
29 Oct 2012, 22:02 pm
@Jinx2-578:
hehe
i like it
i like brussow
nz is an average team that struggles when you have a ref prepared to police them and a team prepared to negate their cheating. we certainly have the players and the team to do that… if the ref gives both side a fair go at it there would be a helluva lot of pieces to pick up indeed.
29 Oct 2012, 22:04 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-579:
Is ja. A bit like Liverpool. Lost their balls of steel. I like Pierre Spies. The man is a gentleman. I would vote for him as President. He and Alberts are just egte gooie mense. But he is not the right rugby leader. You need a rougher diamond in the mix. A Henry V type of geezer. Dewaldt Potgieter is almost that type of man. Deon Fourie is the man the Bulls should have wanted years ago, while he was a schoolboy in Limpopo.
29 Oct 2012, 22:04 pm
HM is going to need Deon Fourie.. if he don’t wake up now I doubt he ever will.. if Flo is down injured he got problems because none of Alberts or Coetsee or Vermeulen or Adriaan Strauss or Chili can offer Boks what Fourie would.. and only perhaps Brits may slightly though he is far more a stand off open field type player who likes to dazzle out amongst the back line.. Meyer gonna need Fourie.. and if he don’t take him along I reckon he might lose 2 from 3 of his Eoyt gigs.
29 Oct 2012, 22:08 pm
@Jinx2-582:
i hate to say this but sometimes i feel his christianliness gets the better of him.
and i also dont like it when he smiles so much.
you must earn the right to smile.
29 Oct 2012, 22:09 pm
@assagai-583:
It is like leaving Sean Fitzpatrick out of the All Blacks squad in his day. Pure ******* ignorance, or maybe just spite.
29 Oct 2012, 22:10 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-584:
Damn, bra. You are a mean a$$. Well, I guess you are Bakkies
29 Oct 2012, 22:12 pm
@Jinx2-586:
it’s funny, but i really feel that way.
i’m off,
cheers.
29 Oct 2012, 22:12 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-587:
Cheers!
29 Oct 2012, 22:13 pm
@assagai-583:
two out of three would be a ****** tragedy to me.
i dont think it will happen though.
with or without fourie.
29 Oct 2012, 22:15 pm
@assagai-580:
I was told when he asked for her hand in marriage, her mother was against it as he had supplied arms to the British that had shelled her Pa (stockade) at the famous battlle of Gate Pa, but the marriage was setup as a coming together of the two enemies a kind of peace pact.
29 Oct 2012, 22:18 pm
@Jinx2-576:
> But Juandre is like Pierre Spies. Pretty mediocre.
Juandre is a good player, more like VM, but no enforcer
> Bulls should have signed Mostert. A commando!
Ja nou praat jy
But instead the bought Tarzan van Despatch Potgieter, die domf.ok hardloop rond soos ‘n malmens to hy seerkry en vra dan “pleister”
29 Oct 2012, 22:20 pm
@victoriabok-591:
You just killed me
I have gotten up from the floor now. Uitstekend.
29 Oct 2012, 22:24 pm
@Te Rangatira-590: it sounds like a very interesting and rich history your family has.. at least your great great grandmother’s mother was big enough to overlook the hurt and allow love to kindle some hope and forgiveness.. that takes some heart and courage. Sometimes love across traditional boundaries is much stronger than those forged from narrow confined comfort zones.
Sounds great that you uncovering or rediscovering some of your hidden heritage and ancestry
29 Oct 2012, 22:29 pm
@victoriabok-591: and he nogal made him a bloody bok.. no wonder CJ Stander said fok jou eks weg Ierland toe.
29 Oct 2012, 22:31 pm
@assagai-553: et was ostracised by elite & segregationist cape town & made to watch over the fence so he loathes everything saffa & especially cape town.
he only embraces “lambie” because of currie cup 2010…
29 Oct 2012, 22:32 pm
The Irish save their best rugby for the Bokke. It will be very tough.
29 Oct 2012, 22:35 pm
@assagai-593:
My side of the Asher family are proud Maori who always look back their Jewish heritage.Its been said that my Great Grandfather paid off of my Grandfather to farkoff ,who was Maori also before my Mother was born because they were descended from German stock.
29 Oct 2012, 22:48 pm
@Transformation-595: I know why he hates WP and the Boks with a passion.. and then he goes and sucks up to the pommie faced pseudo arsewipe last bastion toffee noses from KZN.. Lambie pambie his little pommie pompom champion got drilled by the boere from WP and a nobody Greek .. what a lekker last hurrah… check how quickly he exited from the thread after De Jongh scored against all his hopes and vanquished wishes… fck’d his little pompous pandering anglicized choir boy ploy up his suurgat HG suck up gat.
29 Oct 2012, 22:50 pm
@Te Rangatira-597: would israel akukata dagg be also a maori-jew or jewish maori?
29 Oct 2012, 22:53 pm
@Te Rangatira-597: quite a mixed culture with German and Jew and Maori all interrelated.. quite a few Dutch Maori also like Kees Meeuws and few others I guess.. Schwalger must be mixed German Samoan or not?
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