­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals

SA Rugbymag

South African rugby news, fixtures, results, video, interviews, and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers/Western Province, Sharks, Cheetahs, Kings and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals

You are here: Home ∼ Column: Province need midfield rethink

Column: Province need midfield rethink

Western Province centre Ruhan Nel Western Province centre Ruhan Nel
Published on November 29, 2020

Western Province will need to consider their midfield combination following their disappointing loss to the Vodacom Bulls at Newlands, writes DYLAN JACK.

Province started their 2020 Currie Cup campaign with a 22-20 loss to a Bulls side that was forced to play with 14 men for most of the second half on Saturday evening. The defeat left Province in third place, seven points off the top of the table, with their dream of giving Newlands a fitting sendoff with a home final under threat.

However, it is the nature of Saturday’s defeat which will have John Dobson and his Province coaching staff scratching their heads as to how they lost this one, despite dominating territory and possession for large parts of the first half and having a couple of opportunities to put the game to bed in the second period.

At times in the first half, Province were very lateral on attack and lacked that same incisive edge, which saw them finish their Super Rugby Unlocked campaign (as the Stormers) with comfortable wins over Griquas and the Cheetahs.

It is telling that the only time that the Cape side looked consistently threatening with ball in hand was when Ruhan Nel was brought off the bench in the 54th minute, shortly after the Bulls lost Jacques van Rooyen to a red card. Nel provided the try assist to Ernst van Rhyn for what looked like the winning score, before the Bulls snatched the match with a couple of minutes to go.

It is quite clear that the combination between Rikus Pretorius and Dan du Plessis is not working. This is not to say that either Pretorius or Du Plessis are bad players. On the contrary, both can give Province the go-forward and momentum the team needs when given opportunities with ball-in-hand.

However, the issue is that both players fit into the typical mould of an inside centre. As an example, there was a period in the first half of Saturday’s match where Province were camped in the Bulls’ 22. Province had done the hard work of sucking their Bulls defenders into the breakdown with a number of carries from their forwards and there were a couple of opportunities to spread the ball and exploit the space out wide.

Unfortunately, at that stage, both Pretorius and Du Plessis had got drawn into the breakdown battle themselves, leaving nobody to link the two playmakers – Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant – with the wings.

Fortunately, the solution for Province is a relatively simple one. Instead of playing Pretorius and Du Plessis as a combination, consider them both as inside centres and rotate them. Du Plessis’ strengths are best suited at inside centre and having him competing with Pretorius for a place in the starting lineup will only cause both players to lift their game.

Nel needs to be the senior player in the midfield, effectively taking the leadership in this department from Jamie Roberts, whose guidance is so clearly missed in this team. The former Blitzboks player is a far more natural outside centre than either Pretorius or Dan du Plessis and his impact on Saturday’s match was not surprising in the least.

If Province want to go for an alternative solution, they could always turn to a completely new combination and start Michal Haznar at inside centre alongside Nel. The two were paired together during Province’s successful 2017 Provincial Rugby Challenge campaign and it would be interesting to see if it would work at a higher level.

Haznar has certainly shown that he can be a force in midfield during his stint with Griquas and will need an opportunity some time in the campaign.

However, with the challenge of the Lions at Ellis Park looming on the horizon, Western Province have very little time to experiment. The Lions boast their own star quality midfield, with Burger Odendaal settling in well after his move from the Bulls, while Wandisile Simelane has found his form after a tricky start to the year.

What is for certain is that a change in this department is needed and Province cannot afford to leave Nel on the bench again.

Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images

Posted in Columns, Currie Cup, Dylan Jack, Stormers, Top headlines

Post by Dylan Jack

Dylan Jack

MPU #1 - (DESKTOP SIZE 300x250 / MOBILE SIZE 320x50, 300x250, 320x100)
← Previous Next →

Ratings: Du Toit one of the few standouts for Boks

The Boks faded in the second half to slump to a 22-17...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Duhan should be celebrated for his Lions success

Duhan van der Merwe’s achievements should be truly appreciated by South Africans,...

JdV: Boks-Lions have everything to play for

Performing in empty stadiums will be a key factor in the series...

Dynamic Dayimani: Forward to back

While he has been signed as an ‘edge’ forward, Hacjivah Dayimani could...

Boks have muscle memory to rely on

Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber are experts at finding solutions to tricky...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Team graphics: Springboks vs B&I Lions
  • Boks vs Lions (1st Test): Predict and WIN!
  • Lions team announcement: Duhan to front Boks
  • Teams: SA A vs Bulls
Boks

Why the Boks should be bullish

There is good reason for the Springboks to enter the British & Irish Lions series with confidence, writes MARK KEOHANE in the latest SA Rugby magazine.

  • Watch: Did Gatland’s words influence Jonker?


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals
×