Sias silences his critics
Former South African Schools flyhalf Sias Ebersohn left his country of birth under a cloud, seemingly unable to convert his potential into form at Super Rugby level.
However, the 25-year-old made a triumphant return to Bloemfontein at the weekend – producing a mature performance and played a key role in the Western Force's 23-16 Super Rugby Round 13 win over his former team, the Cheetahs.
Force coach Michael Foley commended the No.10, who left Bloemfontein for Perth two years ago after being overlooked – with Springbok Johan Goosen the preferred choice.
Not only did Ebersohn outshine his more illustrious opponent at the weekend, he also silenced a few critics on the other side of the Indian Ocean.
"I am very pleased for Sias," Foley said in his post-match reaction.
"He has worked very hard, much like everybody else.
"There were a few people in our [Force] senior management that thought Sias wasn't the answer, but as we explained, he was a young flyhalf who was still learning.
"Now he is playing superbly well this year."
The Force coach also commended wing Nick Cummins for his individual efforts on the day.
"Nick Cummins did very well on defence," Foley said.
"He was up against [Springbok] Raymond Rhule, who is a very dangerous player, and did extremely well."
Foley also lauded his team's efforts in the scrums and at the breakdown area.
The Force dominated the scrums and breakdowns, while also using turnover possession optimally to gain valuable momentum for their next game on their South African tour – as they eye an unprecedented whitewash of SA teams in the Republic.
They next face the Stormers in Cape Town next weekend and Foley said the victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, their first since 2009, was mostly due to their ability in the above mentioned areas.
"I think the guys have been pretty solid in the break down area from the start of the season," Foley said.
"Our loose trio lead from the front against the Cheetahs, but I think everyone on the field was good in that regard.
"There were times that we had to defend more than we wanted to because we couldn't get away from our end of the field, but we reacted well to the pressure.
"Our defence, and even our approach at the break downs, are a lot about spirit. When people play rugby, they normally play to throw the ball around. Our defence is based on hard work."
Most of the Force's points came from turnover possession that came after the Cheetahs made mistakes on the attack, while their dominance in the scrums also contributed to the victory.
"I don't think you are ever able to anticipate when a side is going to make mistakes. That being said, we did believe if we defended well enough, opportunities would arise from that.
"It took a lot of hard work from the guys up front, particularly in the first half. The guys worked really hard and that resulted in opportunities that we could capitalise on.
"I have to commend all our forwards for their performance in the scrums. It was pleasing to see our reserve front row come onto the field later on and have the same impact.
"[The Cheetahs] certainly move the ball around a lot and we did believe that if we defended well enough and if we were strong enough in that area, opportunities would come for us," he said.
"We felt that was likely to happen late in the game rather than early so it took a lot of hard work from the team up front.
"In that first half, in those first 20 or 30 minutes, our guys worked very hard and as a result got rewarded with opportunities and were aware enough in those moments to take them.
"There are a lot of guys in that team who've been at the Force for a long time and haven't necessarily been rewarded for their hard work and they get a sense that every player in the squad, not just guys that are here but are back home as well, puts in for each other and that drives them.
"Things like defence and breakdown for us – I'm always very confident they guys are going to give maximum effort."
