Assistant coach Rito Hlungwani expressed his pride with how the DHL Western Province youngsters stepped up in the Currie Cup clash with the Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday.
DHL Western Province fought hard, but went down 31-23 in their Currie Cup coastal derby against the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium.
Already stretched thin in the backline, fullback JC Mars, centre Josh Boulle and wing Angelo Davids were ruled out at the 11th hour, with Province fielding teenagers Kyle Smith and Gino Cupido in midfield, while 20-year-old Joel Leotlela started on the wing.
Despite the disruptions, WP dug deep and came back from a 21-10 half-time deficit to make it a five-point game in the second half, before Sharks veteran Lionel Cronje stepped up to nail a late drop-goal.
“The boys that we had out there fought really hard,” forwards coach Hlungwani said. “They tried their best.
“Half our team today was pretty much U21. They never disappeared. There were lots of things that you would expect from a youngish team in terms of mistakes, but I thought they fought hard.”
The defeat was Province’s sixth in eight games, as the approach has been taken to use the Currie Cup to blood youngsters and give some seniors enough game time to prepare for the Vodacom URC.
“Going into this tournament we had a goal and a plan We are really excited about the future of the Province and the amount of talent that’s coming through,” Hlungwani said.
“Kyle Smith and Gino Cupido are still U19 and they are playing Currie Cup now. We aren’t really panicking. We are happy with the progress that these young guys are making. We want to keep pushing them and getting them ready for big rugby.
“From our view we were very clear from the start of the competition, this is what it’s going to be used for. There’s a lot of youngsters who we are really happy about.
“Andre Goedhals is also still U21 and was calling the lineouts against Reniel Hugo, who is 34. We are happy with the learning process that’s happening for these boys.
“It’s something we have to do. We aren’t going to go out and buy a lot of players when we have a lot of talent that we can groom ourselves and get them ready for the URC. That’s the process we have chosen.
“I promise this will make the fans happy. We have a plan and we know where we are going.”
Province will next host the Pumas in Stellenbosch in the penultimate round of the Currie Cup, which could see a handful of DHL Stormers regulars get some time as they continue with their pre-season.
“We do have a plan with our URC players. The URC isn’t too far away and our guys need to start getting game time,” Hlungwani said.
“I can’t say how many guys will be playing, but they will have to start coming in and getting game ready. This is usually the time we start playing friendly matches. We understand who is coming in, so we will be alright.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
