Tour to France was a massive help for WP
WESTERN PROVINCE coach John Dobson says their two-match tour to France was massive in helping them get their Currie Cup campaign off to a good start.
Ahead of their opener against the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday – which Province won 32-0 - Dobson’s charges played two friendlies against Narbonne and Montpellier. And while they weren’t able to dominate Montpellier the way they did Narbonne, Dobson said that the tour was beneficial in terms preparation seeing that there’s not a lot of time to gradually shift into gear in this year’s single-round, sixgame Currie Cup competition.
The Newlands fixture between Province and the Cheetahs was never going to be a rugby classic thanks to a torrential downpour, but the way WP managed to look after the ball, employ some clever tactical kicking and go about their business in the physical contests, at the breakdown and lineouts – especially in the second half – was about as good as you can expect a Currie Cup fixture to get in those extreme conditions.
“I’m very happy with the win,” Dobson said after the match.
“Our ball security in those conditions was quite good. The guys made good decisions in contact, and our breakdown and physicality... I’m very pleased with that performance.”
Although WP certainly deserve praise for the outing, the Cheetahs didn’t make it very hard for the hosts to look even better. And the fact that the Cheetahs have lost their first two games in the competition with the bulk of their squad that will play in the PRO14 from next weekend certainly doesn’t bode well for Daan Human’s team... in either competition.
On the influence of their tour to France, Dobson said: “It’s going to be completely different (against the Pumas), that’s why this tour was so important to us because you can’t build an innings in this year’s Currie Cup, so we had to hit the ground running.
“But we know the Pumas are going to be a completely different challenge... the conditions, how they play, everything.”
“We actually said in the coaching box that it would be an easy Sunday because there wasn’t much to analyse in terms of the game in those conditions, so the Pumas won’t know much about us.” CHELSEA KEPT up their 100 percent start to the Premier League season by snatching a 2-1 win at a stubborn Newcastle United yesterday, grabbing victory thanks to a late own goal by DeAndre Yedlin.
Eden Hazard had blasted Chelsea ahead in the 76th minute from the penalty spot after Swiss defender Fabian Schar had tripped Marcos Alonso, allowing the visitors a breakthrough after they had monopolised possession.
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez had played a dogged 5-4-1 formation in an effort to shut out his former club. They created little at the other end, but they drew level when Spanish forward Joselu headed in at the near post in the 83rd minute.
Chelsea got back in front with a fortuitous goal four minutes later from Yedlin, who had stretched his foot out to block a shot from Alonso which had looked to be going wide.
Chelsea join Liverpool and Watford at the top of the table on nine points after three games, while Newcastle have one.
Elsewhere two goals in three minutes by Aleksandar Mitrovic helped promoted Fulham to a first win of the Premier League campaign yesterday when they beat Burnley 4-2 at Craven Cottage.
Jean Michael Seri, an Ivory Coast international who was another of the Londoners’ expensive close-season signings, opened the scoring in only the fourth minute but Jeff Hendrick soon equalised.
Mitrovic, signed from Newcastle after a loan period last season, struck in the 36th and 38th minutes before James Tarkowski cut the arrears to 3-2 by halftime.
Andre Schurrle scored late on to confirm Burnley’s drop into the bottom three.
Meanwhile, unfancied Watford beat visiting Crystal Palace 2-1.
It is the first time they have begun with three wins out of three in the top tier of English football.
Etienne Capoue might have been sent off for an early foul on Wilfried Zaha, so Palace were aggrieved that he made the opening goal for Roberto Pereyra in the 53rd minute.
Defender Jose Holebas doubled the lead with what he confessed was a cross before Zaha reduced the arrears 12 minutes from the end. – Reuters