Dobson holds thumbs on Coetzee’s fitness for final
WESTERN Province coach John Dobson is hoping flank Jaco Coetzee is “going to make it” for Saturday’s Currie Cup final against the Sharks, but knows Sikhumbuzo Notshe can fill the breach if need be.
Coetzee was set for a battle royal with the Du Preez brothers (Jean-Luc and Daniel) at Kings Park, but looks unlikely to make the trip to Durban after being forced to exit Saturday’s Currie Cup semi-final against the Lions with a head knock. He has since failed his sideline head injury assessment.
“We will give Jaco until later in the week because the protocols escalate day by day as to the amount of contact he can take‚ and he’s not there yet‚” Dobson said.
“It would be a big loss if he didn’t play because he has serious stopping power. That’s why we will give him until as late as we can‚ but I hope he is going to make it.”
Notshe, though, has eased Dobson’s somewhat concerns after the former Wynberg Boys prodigy produced a barnstorming performance after replacing Coetzee after just 21 minutes.
“He (Notshe) did a great job when he came on and if he has to start at No 6 in the final he will have to alter his game slightly like he did last weekend. Notch is a bit like Nemo (Nizaam Carr) in that he is a No 8,” Dobson explained.
Dobson is forced to make a change in his backline too with EW Viljoen ruled out of the final. Sevens star Ruhan Nel is set to partner Huw Jones in midfield, but Dobson could rejig the back division even further.
The exciting Damian Willemse could return to the starting line-up in the No 15 jumper with Dillyn Leyds moving to the wing.
Dobson certainly wants his back division involved more than have been in the last couple of weeks and Willemse’s return could just be the spark required.
“I feel we have got a lot of confidence in our defence. We are doing a lot of the unpleasant stuff – like the cleaning and our chase lines were very good – but I would like to see a bit more excitement and rhythm on attack. That is probably the area we need to focus on,” Dobson said.
“We have been stressing the importance of the ugly stuff. Maybe we slightly off the pace off on the pretty stuff. We are going to work very hard on what we do in the opposition’s 22 this week. I think we will have a more attacking mindset than last Saturday. We need to create more opportunities for guys like Dillyn and Seabelo Senatla than we have last week.”