VIDEO: Laker's honest admission of WP's defensive state

SPOTLIGHT: Western Province defence coach Norman Laker emphasized the importance of his area of expertise when the Cape Town franchise hosts the Cheetahs in Round Six of the 2024 Currie Cup season.

Province had a challenging start to the season –  losing their opening matches to the Bulls and this week’s opponents the Cheetahs.

Since then the Cape side have managed to bounce back and last weekend’s 39-17 win over Griffons moved them from the basement to fifth on the standings with 13 points.

A win this weekend could see the WP move into the play-off zone. However, it is going to be easier said than done as they face a tough opponent in the shape of Cheetahs.

The defending Currie Cup champions are second in the standings and have an incredible winning rate over WP.

In the last five outings between the two teams, the Cheetahs were the victors and their latest 37-17 win over WP in Bloemfontein in Round Two proved their quality.

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“One thing about the Cheetahs is they never go away,” said WP defence coach Laker.

“They are a well-coached team with really good experienced players. A guy like Jeandre Rudolph has been playing rugby for quite a while.

“So we are looking forward to the game, especially being back at Cape Town Stadium.”

Laker said the young team has been making strides. However, they still have a lot of work to do regarding the defensive systems.

The side conceded six tries the last time they played the Cheetahs and against the Bulls, they leaked seven tries.

Last week against the Griffons, the Cape side missed 36 tackles – a feat that has proven to be costly against a side like Cheetahs.

When quizzed about the defence, Laker admitted: “It has not been up to standard.

“I think in patches, especially in Bloemfontein we let ourselves down on two occasions and they [Cheetahs] scored which gave them a 14-point lead.

“Against the Bulls, we were leading 27-3 on 39 minutes and then losing 50-34 was very disappointing.

“But it’s a young group of guys and I haven’t coached them before. So now we have to make the new guys understand the system and it’s nice to see how they are gradually starting to get into the thick of things.”

Without looking too far ahead, Laker stated that every match ahead of them is of utmost importance as they seek a semifinal spot.

“We obviously never play to lose a game, so every match is important

“We take it week by week.”