MASSYN: 'WE WON’T UNDERESTIMATE SHIMLAS'
FNB Maties wrapped up their fifth unbeaten FNB Varsity Cup campaign with an emphatic 84-26 win against FNB UWC on Monday, which is allowing them approach the playoff stage in confident – though considered – mood.
“I think it ended well,” interim captain Chris Massyn told rugby365.com ahead of their upcoming semifinal against UFS Shimlas.
“I think there’s still some stuff that we need to sort out before the semifinal like handling errors which teams like Shimlas and the team who we hopefully play in the final will punish. We’ll have to fine-tune things like that a bit.”
Considering Maties won all their round-robin matches – as they did in 2010 and 2013 – and handed Shimlas a comprehensive 59-14 beating in Round 8, the task at hand for coach Hawies Fourie’s boys seems relatively simple – rock up and win…
“We went into this week highlighting the fact, especially in the Varsity Cup, that you can never underestimate a team,” Massyn asserts.
“A few weeks ago’s score doesn’t really matter, especially in a semifinal, and your log points don’t really help you; they don’t mean anything except maybe giving you home ground advantage.
Massyn’s caution also won’t be swayed by the fact that Maties have never lost a semifinal at Danie Craven Stadium (their only loss at this stage being at FNB UCT Ikey Tigers in 2014) and Shimlas have never beaten them in Stellenbosch either.
“This is my sixth Varsity Cup and I’ve seen a lot stranger things than a team who you got a rather decent win over coming back and beating you. So we’re definitely going into this match fully prepared and expecting anything.”
In that regard, Fourie has already had his squad re-studying the threats Shimlas could pose their defence, while also making some small adjustments other coaches might not think of.
“We’ve actually moved our training time a little bit later this week to get used to the dew that’s starting to settle on the field at night,” Massyn reveals.
Ultimately, it’s not just the ‘Maroon Machine’ and their attention to detail standing in the way of Shimlas – despite their best intentions.
“Playing at home makes a massive difference. I previously played for Tuks in my undergrad studies [the 25-year-old flank was captain of their 2017 title-winning squad] and I know the impact of playing at Danie Craven Stadium against Maties – it’s something that can’t be understated. So it’s a massive advantage for us.”
