Time for excuses is over – vow Kings
DISAPPOINTED Southern Kings captain Michael Willemse said the time for excuses were over after his team slumped a 31-10 defeat against Leinster at a near empty Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
Kings officials had been hoping for a 10 000 crowd to watch the first Pro14 match in Port Elizabeth, and the official attendance figure of 3 011 looked even smaller when it was thinly spread around the 46 000 seater arena.
It was a third straight loss for the Kings who had been hoping to register their first points in the competition after defeats against Scarlets and Connacht on the road in Europe.
Leinster took charge of the game early in the second half when they crossed for three decisive tries in 11 minutes to kill off the Kings’ hopes of pulling off a first win.
Despite being hamstrung by visa problems, injuries and late withdrawals, the Irish outfit still had too much firepower for the struggling Kings.
“I am proud of the boys for the first half, but you know, we can’t afford to make any more excuses. We have to start believing,” Willemse said.
“I am a bit disappointed with this result because we put ourselves under pressure. But credit to Leinster because they capitalised.
“You have got to take your opportunities when you are playing at home. We have got to win these games.
“Now we will go back to the drawing board and take the positives out of this game and learn from the negatives and hopefully we will come out firing next week against Zebre.
“That will be a massive battle and hopefully we can improve on this game because we really want to do well in this competition,” Willemse said.
After holding a 7-3 lead at the break, Leinster put the game beyond the reach of the Kings when they scored three tries
“Just after half-time, in the first 11 minutes, they just played us off the park and we put ourselves under tremendous pressure,” Kings coach Deon Davids said.
“Rugby is a game of momentum. If you just consecutively concede momentum by giving away a free kick, and conceding a turnover, you will stand behind the poles.
“This is the big lesson the guys have to learn in these circumstances. We have to grow from here as team.”
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen felt the Kings were moving in the right direction after they were hastily assembled after leaving Super Rugby.
“These things are going to take time. It’s been a difficult backdrop for the Kings, everything is set up here – they have a fantastic stadium and as the performances improve, I’m sure you will get better crowds,” Cullen said.
“It’s positive for the tournament, it’s a privilege to come to a country with such strong, rich traditions in the game. And I think it will be great for our league to have a South African presence.
“It must be a really tough challenge for them to get a squad together a couple of weeks before the season starts, without any pre-season effectively.
“They are making positive steps week by week with their performances, that’s clear from what I saw two weeks ago against Scarlets to what I saw today. They are starting to look more like the team I saw in Super Rugby,” Cullen said.
Leinster play the second game of their South African tour against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday night. in 11 minutes after the resumption.