WP in need of introspection says Willie
REACTION: Western Province captain Willie Engelbrecht believes “silly individual errors” were the main cause behind his team’s 17-37 defeat to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Western Province are second-last on the table after only picking up two points in their opening-round defeat to the Bulls.
The Cape Town side started the game well when flyhalf Jurie Matthee sent a chip high and Jean-Luc du Plessis chased it and dotted down.
However, the Cheetahs hit back through Daniel Kasende and the two teams were level 10-all at half-time.
It was a different situation in the second stanza, with the hosts enjoying a period of dominance.
They scored 17 unanswered points and left WP deflated.
🤔
Which of the uncapped players would you like to see 🆚 Portugal ?
The 41-man squad 🗞️ https://t.co/RfQ09s4zPF#Rugby365 #Springboks pic.twitter.com/ixGRwvgPYZ
ADVERTISEMENT— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 15, 2024
When asked to pinpoint where it all went wrong, Engelbrecht said: “Small things, silly stuff and individual errors.
“Players need to go look at themselves, and I include myself as well.
“We need individuals to perform and rectify things and then we can all come together.”
#ICYMI: Cheetahs thump WP in fine fashion | Rugby365
The captain said the Cheetahs managed to disrupt their maul, one of WP’s go-to attacking weapons.
“We stuck to the plan in the first half,” Engelbrecht said, adding: “We knew it was going to be fast and tough the first 20 and stuck in it.
“Coming in at half-time we felt good, we got a lot of penalties, our scrum did well and then all of a sudden it just fell apart.
“We work hard to get in to the 22 and our strong point is our maul, but that was nullified.”
Head coach John Dobson said it was a frustrating outing for his troops.
“In the second half, loosehead prop Cameron Dawson made a big difference for the Cheetahs and they came back very well in the scrums
“We could have been in a better position at half-time,” said Dobson.
“For some reason, 15 minutes after half-time they got on top in the scrums, we stopped working and it just all fell apart.
“It quickly went from 10-all to 27-10 in 10 minutes. It was frustrating.”
Dobson added the loss of Jean Luc du Plessis was another blow for the team.
“He [Du Plessis ] is a leader and a game-driver for our defence and our kicking game,” said Dobson.
“We had a plan around the kicking between Jurie [Matthee] and JL alternating.
“So, losing him was a big loss. But we should avoid depending on such an extent on one guy.”
The winless WP will take on the Griffons in Round Three of the Currie Cup season.
