Were WP fitter than the rest?

Consider this: they were mostly the “back foot” team in both their semi-final triumph over the Lions in Johannesburg and then again for significant passages in the showpiece against the Sharks on Saturday.

The tackling and scrambling required under those circumstances, plus playing second fiddle at scrum-time for the most part, usually has debilitating consequences, yet Province somehow seemed to defy conventional wisdom by producing some of their best and crucially most energetic rugby late on, in each instance.

Forget the fact that the Sharks were strongly on the offensive as the final whistle sounded at Mr Price Kings Park: that had only been the result of a turnover breakout from deep in their own territory and for most of the last 20 to 25 minutes of the nail-biting, enthralling occasion, it had instead been the visitors predominantly turning the screws as the favourites’ prolonged assault suddenly turned to collective jelly-legs.

Of course the blue-and-whites would not even have actually reached the final had it not been for one of the most decisive and spectacular rolling mauls – and you can hardly be dead on your feet for that, surely? – of the entire South African season in stoppage time at Coca-Cola Park a week earlier.

Province’s noteworthy stamina levels quickly came under focus on Monday morning, when victorious coach Allister Coetzee and young starting scrumhalf Nic Groom were guests on the 567 Cape Talk radio station.

“I think the whole season we kind of have this trend of finishing really strongly ... the last 20, last 15 (minutes),” Groom said.

“Although I was on the bench by that period on Saturday (replaced by substitute Louis Schreuder) I was sort of confident we would do it.

“When Joe Pietersen made that (key retrieving tackle during the Sharks’ late counter-attack) ... he gets up again and has another go. Demetri (Catrakilis) had also made a tackle 20 metres further up the field, got up and made a tackle again, you know.

“That desperation has just been something that’s been in our team the whole time, and it was so good to see.”

Coetzee, meanwhile, took the opportunity to praise the mostly 20- and 21-year-olds in Province’s tight five on Saturday.

“You know, if you look at front-five play, and you see mostly under-21s, it is a big task for those ‘lighties’ to front up ... most of the guys at prop, hooker and lock only mature at the age of around 25 or 26.

“It shows the heart and connectiveness in the team – the senior blokes back the youngsters, and the whole management team also back the youngsters. They understand the plan, what to do.”

The coach probably pulled off an unheralded strategic masterstroke, too, by sticking with his first-choice props, Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malberhe, until very close to the finish despite the early boiler-room strain they had taken against crusty, established Springboks Jannie du Plessis and Beast Mtawarira respectively.

He had two props available as replacements – Brok Harris and Deon Carstens – but despite that relative luxury did not hit any premature panic buttons as the starting pair instead went remarkably up a gear around the hour mark and WP even got their own back at a few set-pieces.

This seemed just another pointer to high levels of fitness throughout the squad, especially when you consider the commitment Kitshoff and Malherbe had already had to muster defensively by that juncture in the game.

By contrast, Sharks coach John Plumtree has taken some criticism from pundits for withdrawing fired-up veteran Bok tighthead Du Plessis before the start of the all-important final quarter.

In his defence, he may have been at least slightly motivated by humanitarian – not to mention national-team – concerns, as the big, now northern hemisphere tour-bound No 3 had experienced some form of concussion only a week earlier and was deemed doubtful in the lead-up days to the showpiece encounter.

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