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WP loss a wake-up call

Christo Buchner

Durban – Western Province coach Allister Coetzee believes Saturday’s 27-16 defeat to the Sharks is a timely wake-up call for his side.

“We messed this one up properly and will have to pick ourselves up for the second round,” Coetzee said after his side lost their unbeaten record and also surrendered their place at the top of the Currie Cup log to the Sharks.

Coetzee concedes his team may have been a little over-confident and that came back to bite them.

“We were poor. Our set phases, in particular, were not good. We were beaten in the scrums and our lineout was also disrupted for the first time this year. You can’t build phases if you are unable to hold onto the ball,” he said.

“Credit to the Sharks. They did their homework and put us under a lot of pressure, especially in the second half. I’m not making excuses, but it was very disruptive to lose two flanks in the first half.”

Rynhardt Elstadt (dislocated thumb) and Pieter Louw (rib) had to be replaced.

“The Sharks’ Springboks also made a huge difference, particularly Ryan Kankowski. They are the last team you can afford to concede possession against the way we did,” said Coetzee.

There were cracks in WP’s defensive pattern, but Coetzee made the point that it was difficult to maintain structure in defence when possession is being lost.

“I’m still happy with where we find ourselves in the tournament. We have four home games in the second round and will get some of our Boks back. We will just concentrate on the next game and that is against the Cheetahs.”
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