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Johannesburg - Western Province had by far the easier passage through their semi-final than their Sharks opponents, but skipper Schalk Burger knows that winning the Absa Currie Cup final in Durban is going to be a huge task for his team.
Speaking after the 31-7 rout of the Cheetahs which has put the Cape side into their second major final in the space of just five months, Burger drew on his team’s recent experience in reminding WP fans that last week’s big win over the Sharks in the final league game was not any reflection of what could be expected in a final.
There have been a couple of ironic twists in the way the closing stages of the Currie Cup season have reflected what happened at a similar stage of the Super 14 season, and that is continuing.
In the Super 14, the Stormers had to beat the Bulls, who had already qualified for top spot, in the final league match at Newlands, and it was the same with WP 10 days ago.
In both instances WP won easily against teams that lacked some key personnel and also maybe lacked desperation. But the Stormers came up against a very different Bulls team in the Super 14 final in Soweto in the last weekend of May, and as luck would have it, they again find themselves having to travel to a final against the team they beat in the last league match.
“If you look back at the Super 14, we beat the Bulls in the league game, although it was a weakened side, but the final week is totally different,” said Burger.
“The Sharks will make changes to the team we played in the last league game. It was nice beating them last week, but that doesn’t count anymore. It’s a final, a once-off game, it’s totally different. On the day it’s about the team who can handle pressure and take opportunities.”
Taking opportunities is something WP haven’t always done that well over the past two weekends.
Both their matches – the league game against the Sharks and the semi against the Cheetahs – were won convincingly, but in both WP could have won by more had they made full use of all their scoring opportunities.
In the first quarter against the Cheetahs there were a few great try-scoring chances that were wasted, and again later in the match when WP were applying the sustained pressure which made the victory inevitable.
“In this game we had about eight chances, and in the final, we will probably get three or four. So we have to make the most of those opportunities that do come our way in the final,” said Burger.
The good news for WP was that they got through the match without any additional injury concerns, and such was the one-sidedness of the contest that coach Allister Coetzee was even able to bring his entire bench onto the field for the final 10 minutes.
It was during that period that WP conceded their only points through a gifted try to Cheetahs wing Philip Snyman.
There is now a two-week break before the final, but Coetzee said he welcomed it as some of his players need freshening up.
Some WP players, such as Duane Vermeulen and Brok Harris, have been involved in every match Province have played this season
“Mentally we have to switch off for the next few days, and make sure that the players are fit and fresh when we go up to Durban,” said Coetzee.
“We know we have our work cut out for us, the Sharks have a very physical pack, their team has so few cracks in their set-up, so beating them is going to be a massive task. But our tight five has stepped up over the past two weeks and I have been extremely pleased with the way we have started to hit top form at just the right time.”
A big boost for WP was getting through the game without any additional injuries.
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Johannesburg - Western Province had by far the easier passage through their semi-final than their Sharks opponents, but skipper Schalk Burger knows that winning the Absa Currie Cup final in Durban is going to be a huge task for his team.
Speaking after the 31-7 rout of the Cheetahs which has put the Cape side into their second major final in the space of just five months, Burger drew on his team’s recent experience in reminding WP fans that last week’s big win over the Sharks in the final league game was not any reflection of what could be expected in a final.
There have been a couple of ironic twists in the way the closing stages of the Currie Cup season have reflected what happened at a similar stage of the Super 14 season, and that is continuing.
In the Super 14, the Stormers had to beat the Bulls, who had already qualified for top spot, in the final league match at Newlands, and it was the same with WP 10 days ago.
In both instances WP won easily against teams that lacked some key personnel and also maybe lacked desperation. But the Stormers came up against a very different Bulls team in the Super 14 final in Soweto in the last weekend of May, and as luck would have it, they again find themselves having to travel to a final against the team they beat in the last league match.
“If you look back at the Super 14, we beat the Bulls in the league game, although it was a weakened side, but the final week is totally different,” said Burger.
“The Sharks will make changes to the team we played in the last league game. It was nice beating them last week, but that doesn’t count anymore. It’s a final, a once-off game, it’s totally different. On the day it’s about the team who can handle pressure and take opportunities.”
Taking opportunities is something WP haven’t always done that well over the past two weekends.
Both their matches – the league game against the Sharks and the semi against the Cheetahs – were won convincingly, but in both WP could have won by more had they made full use of all their scoring opportunities.
In the first quarter against the Cheetahs there were a few great try-scoring chances that were wasted, and again later in the match when WP were applying the sustained pressure which made the victory inevitable.
“In this game we had about eight chances, and in the final, we will probably get three or four. So we have to make the most of those opportunities that do come our way in the final,” said Burger.
The good news for WP was that they got through the match without any additional injury concerns, and such was the one-sidedness of the contest that coach Allister Coetzee was even able to bring his entire bench onto the field for the final 10 minutes.
It was during that period that WP conceded their only points through a gifted try to Cheetahs wing Philip Snyman.
There is now a two-week break before the final, but Coetzee said he welcomed it as some of his players need freshening up.
Some WP players, such as Duane Vermeulen and Brok Harris, have been involved in every match Province have played this season
“Mentally we have to switch off for the next few days, and make sure that the players are fit and fresh when we go up to Durban,” said Coetzee.
“We know we have our work cut out for us, the Sharks have a very physical pack, their team has so few cracks in their set-up, so beating them is going to be a massive task. But our tight five has stepped up over the past two weeks and I have been extremely pleased with the way we have started to hit top form at just the right time.”
A big boost for WP was getting through the game without any additional injuries.
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