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, 14:49 pm
@mopingshark-338: That would be ‘Sir’ Breker to you. Dankie.
29 Oct 2012, 14:51 pm
@KeurboomPark-349:
So did you pick up some local boys in deben or province supporters who travelled up for the game?
bent little butterfly.
29 Oct 2012, 14:51 pm
@gonzo-350: I watched the final and the Aucklanders have a fair point there.
The good guys won.
In our final though, it was the team that won (the WP) who were done in by the ref. Yes, go figure. The losing team were treated to a take as many points as you can buffet, but failed to fill their plates, and so they went hungry
29 Oct 2012, 14:51 pm
worst ref ever. too biased. plonker
29 Oct 2012, 14:53 pm
@BokkeYouBeauties-345:
awesome post bud…
respect…
29 Oct 2012, 14:53 pm
@mopingshark-354:
stop being a d oos.
province was just better on the day and deserved the win.
29 Oct 2012, 14:55 pm
@Fern-356:
k ak man. rigged for all to see
29 Oct 2012, 14:55 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-353:
’tis true…
as naas says… take the result out of the hands of the ref and he becomes irrelevant…
wp made the ref irrelevant…
29 Oct 2012, 14:55 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-353: Jaco tried his his best and it is just plain mean of the sharks now not to give him his leather jacket.
29 Oct 2012, 14:56 pm
@Dazzler-336:
a “kunghut” is the same as your “keengheet”
geddit?
29 Oct 2012, 14:57 pm
deon should have been blown how many times for playing the ball on the ground cheater
29 Oct 2012, 14:57 pm
@charo-360:
you meant “Khiengheet”
29 Oct 2012, 14:57 pm
@wnbb-332:
Great idea: SHARKS.winning FINALS never looked so easy
I see you also started supporting ManU in the late 70′s, early 80′s.
My support for them started after in the 1982/83 season when they signed Norman Whiteside. He just became the youngest player ever in the 1982 WC, breaking Pele’s record. Then of course, the SA connection of Gary Bailey in goal also played a role as well as the fact that Mc Grath (left back) was one of only a few POC in the English league back then.
Those days it was very common for ManU to end the league anywhere between 9th and 15th. There were still 20 teams playing in the league back then.
We did win a few FA Cups though.
29 Oct 2012, 14:58 pm
cheating fools = macheat
29 Oct 2012, 14:58 pm
@pedigree#328
Didn’t you get the memo, he’s not big enough to be an international centre. Meyer prefers the “bigger stronger, faster”, JDV, JJ, Taute, possibly JPP.
He’s played his best rugby at 12 though. He made Johann Sadie look like a superstar…
29 Oct 2012, 14:58 pm
@Fern-356: Respect to you Fernly.
29 Oct 2012, 14:59 pm
@ufo-358: Jaco Peyper’s refereeing was rank-kak, he almost buried us, one example is Aplon making a tackle and getting to contest the ball, the Shark player hang onto the ball, Aplon literally lifted the player up with the ball, then Peyper blew Aplon, I lost it!!!, red mist all round.
29 Oct 2012, 14:59 pm
bakkies is right about cheats
29 Oct 2012, 15:00 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-308: Hey, you mentioned that you guys swallow not me. In Durban we prefer (although I am basically a vaalie now) beautiful tanned women as opposed to cocktail waiters from Bronx.
29 Oct 2012, 15:00 pm
@wnbb-366:
yeah… i second that…!
29 Oct 2012, 15:01 pm
@Skeppie-369:
ja brokeback plonkers
29 Oct 2012, 15:02 pm
@XhosaKid-367:
it’s called daylight.
you will see it when the red mist clears.
29 Oct 2012, 15:02 pm
@Fern-298: @Dazzler-312:
Yeah, he alluded to the fact that he played against guys like Lood Muller, who was a Bok prop after our return to international rugby.
Don’t know if that means he played prop as well.
Still does not mean that he is not a doos.
29 Oct 2012, 15:03 pm
its a sharksworld
29 Oct 2012, 15:03 pm
@mopingshark-368:
you sound just like bakkies
there is more to life than rugby
get a life you miserable sod
so what the sharks choked,life goes on for me and 99% of other Sharks fans.
29 Oct 2012, 15:03 pm
@gonzo-350: While I do think SA has better ref’s generally than most countries, I thought Peyper was very poor on the weekend……and even more dissapointing for was the fact that my beloved sharkies got the beenfit of it and still lost!
29 Oct 2012, 15:03 pm
@mxhosa-365:
Being closer to the action at 12 is ideal for him yes. But I would prefer him to be a permanent starter…..hence my plea for him at 13.
Meyer is a crackhead most of the time, but thie EOYT he really is screwed at 13 – which might force his hand into playing Juan…
Taute won’t be trusted again, defensively he isn’t up to it at 13.
JPP didn’t impress me that much at 13, and is in the form of his life on the wing. Meyer would be sniffing glue if he selected him there when he has Juan RIGHT THERE.
JJ has donefuckall anywhere to even deserve being mentioned…
I’m hoping Juan gets a start….then again if Jean Div is still injured, Juan might get a start at 12….. nah, I’m dreaming, Meyer is in charge.
29 Oct 2012, 15:04 pm
@nama1-363: Yeah,those were the days Nama.FA cup finals days were something to behold on the Cape Flats in those days.Football matches were played as early as possible on a Saturday mornings to afford everybody the opportunity to watch the game.
29 Oct 2012, 15:05 pm
@nama1-373:
He is a d oos just like me,I only speak for myself.
His kinghit will be rewarded by me with a nice flattie if we ever meet.
29 Oct 2012, 15:05 pm
@Fern-375: mopingshark is a WP supporter causing kak.
29 Oct 2012, 15:05 pm
@gunther-372: There was “daylight”, Aplon made the tackle, then got up to rip the ball , giving enough time, “daylight”, for the Sharks player to place the ball, the Sharkie hang on for dear life, embarrassing, not to mention the knock on that followed and wasn’t spotted. Jaco Peyper was very poor if not cheating
29 Oct 2012, 15:06 pm
@XhosaKid-367: You got the benefit of not getting a penalty in the scrum at 34min. that lead to JdJ ‘s try
29 Oct 2012, 15:06 pm
@gunther-315: ‘scuse the ignorance Gunther, but who’s ET please?
29 Oct 2012, 15:06 pm
@Skeppie-376:
k ak man he saw only blue cheating sods
29 Oct 2012, 15:06 pm
@Fern-356:
Fair play Fern
Good on you.
29 Oct 2012, 15:06 pm
@Skeppie-369:
I was in fact referring to the Sharks CC final ‘CHOKE’ in that little analogy 
It was more about gagging and choking when it matters most, than what it was about swallowing and waiters from the Bronx
29 Oct 2012, 15:07 pm
@Skeppie-380:
bull supporter causing k ak
29 Oct 2012, 15:07 pm
Everyone is talking about the try that JDJ scored, but look at his overall game. He tackled like a maniac, assisted at the rucks, and generally calmed De Allende on his inside. His confidence rubbed off on guys like De Allende. Along with Etzebeth and Fourie, they spearheaded the self-believe that caused WP to believe that they could win the game. Yes the try was brilliant, but Juan had a brilliant game overall!!
29 Oct 2012, 15:07 pm
@Skeppie-380:
I agree
Whilst we are on the subject of subhuman pr icks,look no further than the Saders boys.
F ark me what a bunch of metrose xuals they were back in the day!
29 Oct 2012, 15:08 pm
@BrumbiesBoy-383:
ExTrabollock
29 Oct 2012, 15:08 pm
seriously province were awesome
29 Oct 2012, 15:08 pm
@XhosaKid-367:
yeah XKid… but here’s the thing…
(in the worst rugby cliche of all time…)
“we pulled it through…!!”
so everything else becomes inconsequential…
we say that losers should take the bad decisions on the chin and get on with it… surely the winners can take the hit and move on…?
it was soooo last saturday… let it go… let the sunshine bright and disperse the mist… the view of the trophy cabinet is pretty damn awesome…!!
29 Oct 2012, 15:09 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-377: I wouldn’t play JDJ at 12, he has great feet and speed off the mark, I would prefer him at 13. Also he has a lot of accuracy defensivley but does not smash people backwwards…for me a big hitting defender at 12 with a defensivley clever and accurate 13 is ideal.
29 Oct 2012, 15:09 pm
@Skeppie-376: Thanks, Skeppie, such honesty is needed, Peyper was p1sspoor just like in the 2010 SR final in Soweto, the ref buried us on that day, WP wasn’t good enough to win back then.
29 Oct 2012, 15:09 pm
@ufo-392:
well done bro your boys made the guppies look like girls
29 Oct 2012, 15:10 pm
@XhosaKid-381:
like I said.
29 Oct 2012, 15:10 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-386: Phew, that’s a relief!
29 Oct 2012, 15:10 pm
cheats are cheats though
29 Oct 2012, 15:11 pm
@Skeppie-369: cocktail waiters???you play for both teams,skeppie?
29 Oct 2012, 15:12 pm
where is the blues choir singer today
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