Penalty count a worry for WP
Coach Dobson says second half against Griquas was marred by ill-discipline
WESTERN Province coach John Dobson was pleased with his team’s defensive effort in their 38-12 Currie Cup win over Griquas at the weekend.
WP produced a big first half in which they ran in six stunning tries and completely dominated territory and possession, but after the break, they mostly did the defending – an aspect Dobson said was a muchimproved one to what they showed against the Golden Lions at Ellis Park last week.
“I thought one of the things we wanted to correct after Ellis Park was our defence, and I think there was a lot of good defensive efforts,” he said.
“In the first half I think we saw the team that we saw in the first three games of the competition, which made me happy.”
Dobson also said that the win over Griquas felt like a loss after the game.
Province produced an attacking masterclass in the first half. In fact, their performance in the first 40 was so good that the crowd of five and a half thousand probably expected another 60-pointer.
But their second half was marred by ill-discipline and a resulting high penalty count.
“Our discipline in the second half... we gave away 18 penalties. If you go back to 1891 you won’t find a team who’d win the Currie Cup conceding 18 penalties,” Dobson lamented.
“I’m very, very frustrated with the interpretation around scrummaging. It just seemed to be a bit of a lottery at scrum time. That put is under a bit of pressure.”
“So ja, our discipline (let us down), and we just didn’t have the ball in the second half.”
“I just felt really bad cause you could sense the crowd were enjoying it. We feel like it was a loss, but I guess there’s lots to be happy about.”
WP top the standings after four big wins and a massive points difference of 114 points, while their next opposition, the Sharks, are in second.