Defeat a learning curve says CUT-Ixias boss
CUT-Ixias suffered a 12-21 defeat at the hands of UCT at a windy Green Mile stadium in Cape Town.
An impressive double by Darren Adonis levelled matters with five minutes on the clock, however lack of concentration saw UCT centre Rico Lategan seal the victory for his side.
"We were in the game, but UCT is a very difficult place to play especially with the wind. Coming from Bloemfontein, where your flyhalf usually kicks the ball 60 metres and then only manages to kick 10 metres does impact your game plan.
“In a way, we did adapt in a way, but at the Ikeys’ line-outs put us under pressure. We had seven attacking line-outs which we all lost," Liebenberg told rugby365.com
A newcomer to the Varsity Cup scene himself, the coach does not read into the first game that much and considers it a learning curve for both him and his side.
"I also drop the ball as a coach, where I instructed to take the quick tap-and-go which made us drop points. While in my team there were only four guys that played in Ikeys.
"The guys played really well, the line-out is a bit of a problem but other than that our defence was brilliant. It was just for that 15 seconds we lack concentration and lost the game in the final minutes and that is what hurts us.
"One positive thing was there want a lot of individual errors and it was a massive learning curve for everybody," he said.
Next up for CUT are cup favourites Wits in Johannesburg.
"WITS is another mountain to climb. There is no easy game, the teams that pitch on the day tend to win. Like the game between Wits and Maties. Wits produce an unbelievable game. Playing at massive tempo, having good ball carriers especially their NO.8 Jethro de Lange
"I have to prepare my troops for a massive battle. There are some things we need to work on. It has been raining a lot in Johannesburg, which means we just have to prepare for the wet conditions.
"I am excited to take the young boys to Johannesburg. However, I would have like to play with clean ball but that is rugby. Our first week was against the wind now we preparing for the rain," Liebenberg added.
By Leezil Hendricks
@Leezil07
@Rugby365.com
