Fairytale finish for Cinderella side
29 Oct 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes the Cape side may have missed out on Super Rugby honours but the winning of the Currie Cup will mark 2012 as a year to remember.
The domestic season has concluded, and we’re still in that period where the winners of the Currie Cup are celebrated for what they have achieved in isolation. There is a lot of history attached to that trophy, and while it is no longer the Cup to win, it is still a coveted title.
There was a lot of romance associated with the Golden Lions’ victory in 2011, a win that marked their first domestic title since 1999. Today, we should be acknowledging Western Province’s achievement for ending a similar trophy drought.
There will be a great deal more romance associated with this latter victory if one takes into account which players Province were missing, and what the team were up against just two weeks previously.
Success is measured by trophies, and in years to come many will forget that WP did not enjoy a great run during the league stage of the 2012 Currie Cup. The side was hit badly by injuries in the Super Rugby season, with some of those having a knock-on effect in the subsequent domestic competition.
They went into the Currie Cup with few recognised combinations and lacking experience in key positions, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them fighting for a play-off position in the very last week of the league stage.
Indeed, a loss in that final league fixture may have seen them relegated to the First Division. But they managed to pull through, avoiding relegation and also guaranteeing their place in the final four.
Most would have been writing their epitaph during the early stages of that semi-final showdown in Johannesburg. But again, they managed to pull through, overturning a 10-point deficit in the second half.
Considering this team was missing Springboks of the quality of Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Andries Bekker, and Tiaan Liebenberg; that they were also without other important players such as Siya Kolisi, Rynhardt Elstadt, Nick Koster and Dewaldt Duvenage, how could they be considered anything but underdogs when they were playing a final away from home against a Sharks side of such quality?
WP may be a big entity in South African rugby, but the team that played against the Sharks in last Saturday’s final resembled a lower level side in terms of experience.
They were also up against a Sharks team stacked with Springboks and seasoned provincial players. The Sharks may have been without Bismarck du Plessis, but that pack was almost identical to the one that started the Super Rugby final in Hamilton. And the backline, with Pat Lambie running the show at flyhalf, was far better equipped, at least on paper.
Province had no right going to the Shark Tank and knocking over the best side in South Africa. It was an unlikely victory, and perhaps that’s what will make it all the sweeter.
The self-belief was evident in their semi-final win against the Lions, and somehow Allister Coetzee got his young charges to believe a win was possible in the final; that the venue, the Cape side’s poor record in play-off matches, and their own lack of experience simply didn’t matter.
It’s a belief that has been building for some time. Rassie Erasmus initiated the culture change when he arrived in Cape Town in 2008, and over the past five seasons, Erasmus and Coetzee have taken that culture to the next level.
In 2012, they have finally started to achieve more than just an excellent win/loss record; they have started to win trophies.
It started with a win away from home in the Vodacom Cup final, where John Dobson’s WP showed terrific character to clinch the title with an injury-time try.
The Stormers then won the South African conference title in the Super Rugby tournament, a good return considering their injury situation.
Despite a similar problem in the Currie Cup, WP did enough to qualify for the decider and eventually win a trophy they haven’t won since 2001.
It’s a special effort considering the circumstances, and that signifies a special underlying belief.
The Lions’ Currie Cup win in 2011 meant nothing in the context of Super Rugby, as they went on to finish dead last in the 2012 competition. Similarly, WP’s success in the 2012 Currie Cup doesn’t automatically suggest that the Stormers will dominate next year’s Super Rugby tournament.
It will, however, alleviate some concerns about their ability to win championship games. There have been several reasons why recent Stormers’ teams have failed in play-off matches, and chief among them has been the absence of belief.
There was very little pressure on Coetzee’s Cinderella team to win in Durban last week, and that counted in their favour. Ironically, it was the lack of pressure that allowed them to get the monkey off their backs as far as the greater trophy drought is concerned.
They will finish the year with the Vodacom Cup, the Currie Cup U19 trophy, the Currie Cup and the South African conference trophy in the cabinet. It’s a good return. It’s a good reason to mark 2012 as an unforgettable, if not completely successful, year for Western Cape rugby.
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65 Comments
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29 Oct 2012, 05:14 am
Deon Fourie is a Dragon!
29 Oct 2012, 05:35 am
The wp team are all dragons.
29 Oct 2012, 06:06 am
Fairytale
Cinderella side
lot of romance
great deal more romance…
Really JC?! Luckily I had a bucket handy when I started to read this…
Anyway, congrats to WP and all their supporters, enjoy the moment.
29 Oct 2012, 06:13 am
@Slartibartfast-3: Enjoy the moment * Enjoy the year
29 Oct 2012, 06:26 am
@Bagel-4:
It is only the CC, it does not last a year…
29 Oct 2012, 06:43 am
well done to the new boks in the squad:
Arno Botha
Lionel Mapoe
Jano Vermaak
Raymond Rhule
Franco van der Merwe
keep the faith, stay sharp and the caps will follow.
29 Oct 2012, 06:48 am
Bwahahahahahahaha I said on the the game thread that they were covered in Fairy dust cause they playin g so well. And now its Cinderella and Fairy Tales.
29 Oct 2012, 06:53 am
Oops…things like that, am only on first cup of coffee.
29 Oct 2012, 07:09 am
I can’t wait for Keo’s column this morning…
29 Oct 2012, 07:14 am
Mark Keohane, 22 October 2012: “The Sharks have been South Africa’s most consistent performer in Super Rugby and Currie Cup, with or without their current Springboks. They play the best rugby and they are South Africa’s best team. They will win the title on Saturday.”
Mark Keohane, 29 October 2012?
29 Oct 2012, 07:19 am
@WP-Forever-10:
29 Oct 2012, 07:24 am
@WP-Forever-10:
Well Mark Keohane had to be right at some stage…
29 Oct 2012, 07:38 am
Well done Province!
In some small way the injuries helped us get rid of the losing mentality of JDV, Bekker, etc……not made for that big occasion but the youngsters like Eben had no use for your underdogs dribbel!
Johan Ackerman…” Sharks will win by 15″
Drotske….” Sharks by 9-10″
Pine Pienaar… ‘Sharks comfortably”
Pote Human…” Sharks by 10-15″
What was best was how the whole supersport team was almost hangin to the lips of sharks and Butch before the game….after it was hard for Breytie to keep that smile in!!!!!!
SWEEEEEET!!!
29 Oct 2012, 07:45 am
@WP-Forever-9: He might have written his column last week already. Why? Because he told this site how and why the Sharks were going to win. Mr Keo Siener van Rensburg knew it all then already.
29 Oct 2012, 08:15 am
Sharks have now lost 3 finals in a row.
29 Oct 2012, 08:21 am
I believed Tacitus famous Can of Whoopass would never be repeated….
But in the build up to the Final I could not believe some of the arrogance and downright windgat houding by certain Sharks fans….
Another Whoopass debacle indeed ….
Boom got what Boom deserved.!
And I know it was not all sharks fans…
29 Oct 2012, 08:23 am
All Keohane has to do is substitute “sharks” for “WP” and post the same story
29 Oct 2012, 08:25 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-6: Jano a new Bok is he ?
29 Oct 2012, 08:27 am
Thank goodness those stupid pink cars have stopped racing across my screen…it’s been a looooooooong time coming.
29 Oct 2012, 08:28 am
And so the choke tag is handed over to the Sharks again!
Most of those Sharks fans will not turn up here and none of those Bullssharks will even say a word!!!
WP djou lekka deng!!
29 Oct 2012, 08:38 am
@stormersboy-18:
it feels like it…
29 Oct 2012, 08:40 am
Windgat hounding!
Sounds brutal
29 Oct 2012, 08:45 am
@gunther-22:
take that!
29 Oct 2012, 08:48 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-21: Also Van Zyl, he’s been in the squad before hasn’t he??
29 Oct 2012, 08:49 am
@gunther-22: Morning fella.
How insufferable are we going to be on this site for the next, oh 5 years or so??!!
29 Oct 2012, 08:53 am
@stormersboy-24:
van who..?..
29 Oct 2012, 08:54 am
van de merwe?
29 Oct 2012, 08:55 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-26: ja him sorry.
I keep thinking Anton Van Zyl.
Franco Van Der Merwe.
29 Oct 2012, 08:57 am
@stormersboy-24:
ja, he was in the incoming tour squad.
29 Oct 2012, 09:00 am
Howzit bud!
Seriously though we’ll done to the brokebacks for breaking their 11 year drought.
I hope some of their supporters broke their droughts as a result.
I expect to hear many posts on how the Currie Cup matters once again now that Thelo is eating Marcel’s frozen yoghurt out of it.
29 Oct 2012, 09:04 am
My heart truly bled for that youngblood at the end of the match clutching his face in anguish as the reality of a Province win set in.
Other than feeling for him seeing his heroes let him down, it was one of those images that define sport and what to expect from it: anything.
The one Shark I wouldn’t mind changing the result for. And who was that lady who kept on being panned on all match?
As for Heavens Game, Province losing never looked this easy and the other morons who kept on trolling us…
SCOREBOARD, B*TCHES!
29 Oct 2012, 09:06 am
@gunther-30:
It’s a nice early birthday present for Thelo, he turns 61 next Wednesday…
29 Oct 2012, 09:06 am
@gunther-30: Totally.
best competition in the world!
29 Oct 2012, 09:07 am
@BishopsOD-31:
Lambie’s mother?
29 Oct 2012, 09:08 am
How do you know someone went to Bishops?
29 Oct 2012, 09:10 am
@gunther-35:
29 Oct 2012, 09:14 am
@WP-Forever-36: They’ll tell you!!!!
Boom
29 Oct 2012, 09:16 am
@BishopsOD-31: “And who was that lady who kept on being panned on all match?”
HG.
29 Oct 2012, 09:17 am
29 Oct 2012, 09:17 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-38:
29 Oct 2012, 09:17 am
@WP-Forever-36: @stormersboy-37: @gunther-35: ‘Tsek!
29 Oct 2012, 09:19 am
Super Rugby honours?
C’mon, be serious!
29 Oct 2012, 09:19 am
I went to a Charity do at Kelvin on Thursday. White Collar boxing, it was in aid of a soccer development trust, great fun ring girls and all that. Christian Stewart was the “MC” and as the evening went on he got more and more swarmy with the ring girls until one of them asked if they could tell a joke, and then proceeded to tell the “Bishops” joke (Christian went there for those who don’t know).
The crowd loved it. A lot more than Christian did I’m sure!
29 Oct 2012, 09:20 am
@Hoops-13: What really pi sses me off is the way the media just falls to the masses… Supersport is still showing advert packages of Big Vic holding the Cup… Bulls last won the damn thing in 2009!! As for the commentators… geez it irritates me when they say something and Me as a supporter can clearly on the Telly see something totally different!!
where are they looking? The field the screens or the same drivel written script as they just say the same things over… That Mathew guy makes me wanna puke.. he could hardly get a word out when JDJ scored.. moron..
WP… djou lekke deng!!
29 Oct 2012, 09:20 am
@BishopsOD-41: 43 is just for you then!
29 Oct 2012, 09:24 am
@stormersboy-43:
Vicars boxing?
Hmm could catch on.
29 Oct 2012, 09:26 am
@TheTackler-42: Tackler it will become true… like Toetie said…. even if it takes another 4 years..
29 Oct 2012, 09:26 am
@gunther-46: haha was quite a lot of fun I must say.
29 Oct 2012, 09:26 am
The fact that basically 10 mins is what separated WP from being CC champs to be regulated to the first division mabe gives some context to our win. As great a result as it is I do feel we need to stay grounded ,
29 Oct 2012, 09:31 am
15 – Zane
14 – Small
13 – Jacobs
12 – W Olivier
11 – Hougaard
10 – Jaco VDW
9 – January
8 – Spies
7 – Cronje
6 – Watson
5 – Labuschagne
4 – Hargreaves
3 – Mujati
2 – Smit
1 – Dean
..lately ………what’s to talk about
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