Western Province captain Chris van Zyl says their lineouts are an area of concern ahead of the Currie Cup final against the Sharks at Newlands on Saturday.
Province survived a determined performance from the Blue Bulls in a semi-final that went to extra-time, with wing SP Marais’ seventh penalty giving them a 35-32 win.
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Van Zyl admitted WP were not at their best in that epic encounter and that they would have to improve against a Sharks pack that will be featuring several Springboks.
‘I said to the guys in the huddle [after the Bulls game] that we had a great season up until now and like Dobbo [coach John Dobson] said, we had not been properly stress-tested. I think there are lessons we can take from this game.
‘We definitely did not play up to our standards. There are definitely things we can take into the next game.’
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The 32-year-old lock added that after giving away a few opportunities to put the Bulls away with a number of shaky lineouts, Province will have to improve in that area.
‘I thought the Bulls came for us at lineout time. They contested very well and we actually were under pressure there. That is definitely something we will have to fix in the week.
‘Especially at the beginning, we struggled to get any rhythm on attack and that was due to the contesting. They were putting us under a lot of pressure at lineout time.’
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
