Sloppy Spartans seeking team effort against Stars

THE Tshwane Spartans need to transfer the good times they’re having off the field, including braais and golf, onto the field as they seek to make an impression in the Mzansi Super League.

Theunis de Bruyn said yesterday that spirits remain high ahead of today’s match against the Jozi Stars, despite the struggles that have seen the side led by AB de Villiers win just one of their first four matches.

“We’ve played 80% of the game very well, been on top, and then in a 10-minute period we’ve lost it completely,” De Bruyn said by way of describing Tshwane’s troubles.

Two of their matches have been impacted by rain, with last Sunday’s seven-run loss on the Duckworth Lewis Method against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants particularly painful as the umpires took the teams off immediately after AB de Villiers was somewhat dubiously given out lbw.

On an individual basis, the Spartans are doing fine – De Bruyn and Gihahn Cloete feature high on the run-scoring charts and De Bruyn has one of the better averages in the tournament – but it’s as a collective that De Bruyn feels the team have let themselves down.

“If the team gels in the next few days, you never know what can happen. I still feel the emotion in the change-room is good. The guys are still very keen to perform,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say we haven’t gelled, we’ve had a great time off the field; it’s now a matter of time before we start doing it on the field,” De Bruyn added.

The loss of Lungi Ngidi has been a big blow, but his replacement Corbin Bosch performed superbly against the Giants and looks like being a player the Spartans will rely on heavily as they challenge for a play-off spot.

“If we get a sniff today, we must make sure we are clinical. Whoever has the responsibility on the day to make sure you’re not giving it away, don’t shy away; make sure you’re pulling it through for the team,” De Bruyn said.