John Dobson celebrated DHL Western Province’s Currie Cup win against the Bulls, but said the focus is now on the blockbuster Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-final.
A Western Province side featuring a blend of experience and youth dominated a Vodacom Bulls outfit that was packed with Vodacom URC regulars to earn a bonus-point victory in the Currie Cup on Saturday.
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The win snapped a three-game slump for WP who jumped to fourth on the log, while at the same time claiming a rare double over their rivals, having beaten the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in March.
“The result was important for staying in the fight for the Currie Cup,” head coach Dobson said after the match. “We played with real pride in the Province jersey. It was a special performance and I am really proud.”
While he was delighted with how some of his young players coped with being thrown into the deep end of a north-south derby, Dobson doesn’t think the result will have any major impact on the looming Vodacom URC playoff between the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town.
“Look, we want to stay disciplined in our goals for the season. That’s why we picked the team that we did. That probably paid off. We saw some remarkable performances out there, from guys like Keke Morabe, who some might not know about. It’s great for them.
“In terms of next week, the spoils go to the victor. It’s a massive game. We will get some confidence out of this, but they will have a bit more of an understanding of how we are playing at the moment. There’s arguments for both sides. Our team will be the 15 that didn’t play today. It’s a massive game with massive consequences. So it’s pretty much a fresh thing.
“This is great in terms of Western Province versus Bulls and staying in the competition. But it will have very little bearing on next week.”
Dobson decided to rest many of his Vodacom URC regulars, only fullback Clayton Blommetjies, loose forwards Willie Engelbrecht, Junior Pokomela and Marcel Theunissen and loosehead prop Ali Vermaak featured in the Currie Cup match, while the Springbok-capped players were able to catch a breather before the big quarter-final.
“We gave them the long weekend now to freshen up. We did some work earlier this week, Monday through Wednesday for next week. It’s going to be a great rugby occasion. Lots of people go on about records, but to have close to a full stadium for Stormers versus Bulls will be great. There is a lot on the line.
“Our guys are tuned in for this game, make no mistake. They have put in the metres earlier this week, they’ve done their freshening for four or five days and now it’s into proper Test match intensity.”
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