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Province to up the tempo in Kimberley

The Cape side started their Currie Cup campaign with a bye in Round One before going down 17-30 to the Free State Cheetahs in their first game.

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Province were also less than impressive in their match against the Pumas last Saturday, which they won 34-19 after being down 10-12 at the break.

However, Province's record against Griquas over the last few seasons has good and captain Chris van Zyl believes the match is an opportunity for his side to show what they are really made of.

Province to up the tempo in Kimberley"It has got its challenges, but I had good experiences there [Kimberley] as a player and as a captain," said Van Zyl.

"One thing is for sure, we are going to have to be up for it from word go. Like last year, that first 20 minutes we have to weather – they come hard and they are going to try and blow us off the park, so we must just be ready to weather that."

Both teams are in the middle of a three-match sequence in a space of a week and for Van Zyl, it has all been about recovery after the match against the Pumas in Cape Town last weekend.

"It is obviously a challenge, but I haven't played too much rugby this year. 

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"I have been involved quite a bit, but my time on the field on a matchday has been pretty limited. I think Dobbo [Dobson] and them are managing us carefully and making sure that the recovery is up to standard. 

"Today [Monday] was a long day [with training], but we are definitely aware of the fact that we got to be fresh for Wednesday. I suppose it is about managing ourselves." Van Zyl added.

Meanwhile, after three defeats in a row, Griquas head coach Peter Engledow has been trying keeping his side positive ahead of their clash against Western Province.

"We only had one training session for 60 minutes," Engledow told rugby365. "As a coaching team, we obviously identified lots of areas we want to improve after the Sharks fixture, but there is just not enough time for that. 

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"It is more about refocussing what we've done and what has been successful for us during the season to date.

"It is more about keeping the guys positive and keeping them fresh and ready for matchday."

By Warren Fortune

@FortuneWarren

@rugby365com

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