WP on an 'interesting' journey
Allister Coetzee described his team's transformation from dour Super Rugby also-rans to Currie Cup champions as an 'interesting journey'.
In the post-match analysis, after their nailbiting 19-16 win over the Golden Lions in the Final at Newlands at the weekend, he also spoke of the lessons they have learnt.
Then there was the impact of Gert Smal's arrival on the scene before the start of the Currie Cup season.
"Some clever guy and motivational speaker said: 'It is not how many times you get knocked down, it is about how many times you are prepared to get up'," Coetzee said, when asked about the Cape Town-based outfit's dramatic transformation this year.
"That [repeatedly standing up after being knocked down] is exactly what this team and this management have done this year.
"We have turned things around nicely and it is great to have won two from three [Currie Cup] finals in recent years."
He said winning at Newlands this year is really special".
"We have, especially with Gert [Smal] coming in [as Director of Rugby], embarked on an interesting road.
"We made sure our culture is tighter than ever."
He said it is not about egos at Western Province, it is about making sure this province is going in the right direction.
He added that Lions captain Warren Whiteley acknowledged how difficult they, the visitors, found it to play against a unified team, with a strong culture.
"He [Lions captain Warren Whiteley] told me they could feel it," Coetzee told the media scrum at Newlands.
"They tried to go round us, through us, over us, but it was just not breaking down.
"We were probably outscrummed in this match, but even with scraps we could survive and win the [Currie] Cup.
"It says a lot about the character of this team and the culture that exists in this team."
He admitted that coaches will always be under pressure and there will always be expectations for them to do well.
However, that is the world professional coaches live in.
"The work that has been put in – 14 weeks of preparation, 14 weeks of believing and 14 weeks of building – has been a great journey.
"Here we sit with the Currie Cup – it is really satisfactory and pleasing."
The other big positive for WP is that they have management to add significant depth to their squad ahead of the 2015 Super Rugby campaign.
"It is difficult to tell people, and they don't want to hear, that we have learnt lessons," Coetzee said, adding: "The only time you learn is when you experience adversity.
"You have to wear the scars of [being] a losing finalist.
"We were there last year – when we added to the emotion and we got it wrong, we lost the plot [in the 2013 Final] against the Sharks.
"This year the preparations was like any normal week – so we learnt.
"On top of that we grew capacity in this side.
"Yeas, it is two different competitions, but winning the Final will add to the confidence [in Super Rugby] next year.
"We will get a few Springboks and some other players back, then we look very positive going into next season."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
