Coetzee looks on the bright side
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:59
WP points-machine Willem de Waal. (c) Gallo
Allister Coetzee, Western Province's coach, whose team has problems, sees a bright side to the dark clouds that have gathered following successive defeats after a surge of six successive victories and a seemingly impregnable defence.
Speaking ahead of this Friday's away clash with the Lions, the most improved side in the Currie Cup this year, Coetzee said: "It has been tough, with eight to ten Boks out and a whole spate of injuries which is a bit of a worry.
"However, this has provided some good opportunities for others, such as for Deon [Fourie] to get a full game. We want to create depth which we are doing, by bringing the players through that we have. Hopefully it will go well - we are survivors."
Of course, Fourie replaces stalwart Tiaan Liebenberg in the No.2 shirt - the latter facing four-to-six weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
The other changes to the WP side have seen Tim Whitehead restored at outside centre, after recovering from a hamstring injury, and his UCT colleague Marcel Brache handed a chance on the bench in what would be his Currie Cup debut.
Coetzee explained his thinking around Brache's promotion to the matchday squad: "[Flyhalf] Lionel [Cronjé] does miss out but the kid needs to play and he has gone to the Under-21s to get 80 minutes of rugby, which ensures that he is always ready for us and keeps him primed.
"Hoffies [Conrad Hoffmann] will cover 9 and 10 and Marcel [Brache] can cover the outside backs."
Asked about the Western Province scrums, which have been regularly penalised of late, Coetzee said: "We are happy to have Mark Lawrence [as the referee].
"He is one of best on the scrum and has a great understanding of it. There is at scrum time often an argument both ways. [Forwards coach] Matt (Proudfoot) has had a good look this week and I am confident we will do well here."
The last time WP and the Lions met - at Newlands in mid-July - the home side triumphed 32-0.
But a lot has changed since then and the Province boss is not expecting an easy encounter against the confident and exciting Lions outfit who have thrilled friend and foe with their attacking brand of rugby this season.
"The Lions are very strong at set-piece, very physical, and it is always very, very difficult up there [in Johannesburg]," said Coetzee.
"We had a good game against them at Newlands and so we have had a good look at that and it's a case of sticking to what works for us.
"Our focus is more on what we will do. We have to get back on the horse and now we just have to ride the thing. It's a hard place to play and with all these injuries it is tricky.
"We had identified this as a 'hard challenge' phase - Griquas, Bulls, Sharks, Cheetahs, Lions. Next week we will be much different with a lot of our Boks coming back as well as returning injuries like Pieter Louw and Hanyani Shimange. This is an important game for us we have to try and squeeze out a victory then we are back in play. We have worked very hard and we hate losing."
When asked about the improvement in the Lions' game, Coetzee was very complimentary.
"I am not surprised by their turnaround," he admitted.
"They are a proud union, John Mitchell is a disciplinarian and you can see the discipline and structure in their game now. They have always had good up-and-coming players.
"That said, it is never easy to go to Coca-Cola Park. The thing is that their team, the one that took a hammering in the Super 14, stays the same for the Currie Cup. We have to live without about ten Boks, and so, like largely with the Cheetahs, we play the Super 14 side.
"They have a very dangerous back three," he added, "with Killian and Taute - they play without fear or inhibition."
Friday's match will be something of a homecoming for Province captain Anton van Zyl who played for the Lions for some time - both at Super Rugby and Currie Cup level.
He returned home to Cape Town last year and has been a key man for the title-chasing Cape side this season - in the Super 14 and now as the leader of this young WP squad.
"We could not take too much confidence out of the Newlands win (however)," he admitted - despite the hammering handed out to the Lions on that occasion.
"Our record has not been too good up there. We know it is going to be helluva hard. If anyone can explain why they struggle so much in Super 14 but do 'ok' in the Currie Cup... I am sure we would all like to know."
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