EP’s worrying problem of running out of power during the second half of matches against leading teams must be sorted out as soon as possible, Elephants coach Allister Coetzee says.
A lacklustre Elephants side slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season when they crashed to an embarrassing 85-29 SA Cup loss against the Boland Kavaliers in Wellington on Saturday.
It was a thrashing that has raised serious questions about why EP have tended to fall away dramatically against the leading teams.
EP imploded in the second half of a lopsided match that saw the Bolanders outscore EP by 13 tries to four.
The Elephants will have to address this lack of stamina before the Currie Cup First Division kicks off in a few weeks.
“The Elephants can run for 40 to 60 minutes with the big boys, and after that the power, endurance and physicality taper down,” Coetzee said.
“It’s an issue which needs to be addressed during the off- and pre-season. After halftime we had no legs and no work rate as Boland became stronger and stronger.
“EP will have a thorough review of the SA Cup campaign. We must prepare well for the Currie Cup First Division and put building blocks in place for next season.”
The Elephants ended seventh on the 10-team log with a haul of 18 points from their nine outings, which left them out of the running for promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division.
Coetzee said energy-sapping long bus trips to Welkom and Wellington had not helped EP’s cause.
“Compounding to this [defeat against Boland] is 27 or 28 hours of travel in a bus to two away matches within four or five days. This definitely aggravates the situation.
“Just to put it into context, I know our leaders would have bent their backs if we had had an opportunity to qualify [for promotion]. I know where we need to bolster the squad and improve our conditioning and skillset.
“EP were flat, lacked intensity and were not good enough with our skill set and lineouts against Boland.”
Needing a bonus-point win at home to keep alive their qualifying hopes, Kavaliers wing Xavier Michell scored seven tries to help the Bolanders overwhelm EP.
While EP were left pondering their future, there was joy in the Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, Suzuki Griquas and Airlink Pumas camps after they booked their berths in the semifinals and also qualified for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
The final-round action got under way in the most dramatic fashion in Bloemfontein when the Cheetahs ended log leaders’ Griquas’ eight-game winning run with a last gasp 32-31 win.
Elsewhere on Friday, the Pumas outplayed Griffons 61–12 at Mbombela Stadium to consolidate their second spot on the log.
The SWD Eagles also needed nothing less than five points, and they duly delivered, powering past the Leopards by a score of 69–19 at Outeniqua Park in George.
The result, however, was not good enough due to Boland’s full house of points in Wellington.
After the final round of league matches, Griquas finished top on 42 points, with the Pumas second on 38 and Cheetahs third (35).
Boland and SWD both finished on 32 points.
However, the Kavaliers clinched fourth spot due to their superior points difference.
Cheetahs captain Neels Volschenk said the much-needed win had taken a massive weight off the shoulders of everyone at the union.
“It’s not just a big relief, it’s a massive relief for the players, coaching staff and everyone involved with the union,” he said. “I told the guys over the past two weeks that this has to become our standard regarding how we play and train.
“Also about how we carry ourselves on and off the field. It doesn’t matter who the opposition is. There are still potentially two games left in this competition, and we desperately want to make the most of it.”
