WP's new recruits a perfect fit
Hooker Bongi Mbonambi and props Vincent Koch and Wilco Louw gave a good account of themselves and have slotted in perfectly to Western Province's playing pattern.
The 2014 Currie Cup champions suffered a 22-46 defeat to Premiership outfit Saracens in London on Sunday but the trio have served notice as serious contenders for inclusion in the Stormers' squad.
"I thought all the new guys stood up well.
"It was important for them to get a taste of playing for this team in what was a unique game in new conditions, both weather-wise in the lead-up and playing on an artificial playing surface," WP coach, Allister Coetzee said.
Coetzee said the experience gained on and off the field in London would hold them in good stead next year season.
"Nobody likes losing, but I really think this trip was a worthwhile experience for all of us, both on and off the field.
"It wasn't an ideal result, but it was a great occasion for the players to represent Western Province in London," he added.
Coetzee believed the final scoreline could have been closer had Province not conceded errors at crucial times in the game.
"We played well in patches, but we made a few mistakes at key stages of the match and Saracens punished those silly errors.
"The players would have seen how our errors were exploited, and that was a big lesson for us. I thought there were plenty of positives, like our scrum, but it just wasn't to be in the end," he said.
Some members of the Province contingent will attend a sports conference in London over the next few days.
"The majority of us will be flying home on Monday, but some of the players will be staying on and some of the coaches will be attending a leading sports conference in London.
"The players have two weeks off before we turn our attention to the Stormers' pre-season training, which starts on Monday, November 24," he stated.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said he was impressed with the way Province started the match.
"It was a good performance against a very good Western Province team.
"They came out of the blocks pretty quickly and in the first 10 minutes we were under the pump in our own 22.
"We defended well in that period of time and we scored some really good tries and played some really good rugby," he said.
