Dobson has regrets after WP Currie Cup loss

Coach concedes fielding too many URC players possibly a mistake

A lingering hangover from the Stormers’ United Rugby Championship final defeat against Munster may have permeated into the Western Province ranks and affected the team’s showing against Griquas, coach John Dobson said.

The defeat in Kimberley has all but ended WP’s hopes of reaching the Currie Cup Premier Division playoffs ahead of their final league game against the Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday.

It was a sixth-successive Currie Cup win for the Griquas over WP and the Kimberley outfit outscored the visitors by five tries to four, to win 38-29.

Dobson conceded it may have been a mistake to field as many of his United Rugby Championship players as he did.

“Maybe I should have stuck with the youngsters who played last week. Pushing the URC guys into this game after the hype and the emotion of the final, maybe that was a mistake,” he said.

“I don’t know if it was a mental issue or the guys couldn’t make the adjustment.

“It is a clear sign of a team that wasn’t really at the races.”

WP need a number of results to go their way to reach the playoffs.

“I think we are gone. “The lost bonus point at the end was crucial.

“There is a lot of pride and we don’t want to finish on the low of what happened the last two weekends [losses to the Lions and Griquas].

“Make no mistake, there were some tough words said in the dressing room and there will be a response from that next week.

“I tried everything to pick the team up for this, but six days later after what happened last weekend was too much for us.

“The Griquas were desperate, they put us under pressure.

“It was a disappointing performance, but from my side, I’m not too upset, it’s understandable.

“I backed ourselves to lift ourselves but Cape Town in the last few weeks was crazy, in some ways, it’s hard to blame the players for thinking the season is finished.

“They were on a bus to Kimberley, and as hard as we tried it just wasn’t there, guys not cleaning rucks and not chasing kicks properly.

“Maybe I made a mistake by bringing the team that played against the Lions up here, maybe I made a mistake in asking some of the URC guys to play,,” he said.

“We have just got to be disciplined to not let what happened today affect what has been an excellent season.”

George Whitehead contributed 13 points to the Griquas’ winning tally

Marcel Theunissen scored two early tries as the Cape side took a 19-14 lead into halftime.

At that stage, the visitors appeared to be on course for an important bonus-point victory.

WP realised their four-try goal when Willie Engelbrecht scored in the 60th minute.

But Windhoek Draught Griquas scored two further tries through Sean Swart and Sango Xamlashe, and Whitehead showed his nerve to nail several important kicks at the death.

Whitehead’s final penalty goal extended the hosts’ lead to nine points and ultimately denied WP a second bonus point. Fixtures:

Friday: Griffons v Lions, Griquas v Pumas. Saturday: Blue Bulls v Cheetahs, Western Province v Sharks.

Log (all teams have played 13 matches): Sharks 48, Cheetahs 46, Pumas 36, Bulls 36, Griquas 35, Western Province 32, Lions 31, Griffons 10.