Injuries sideline Kings stars
and his one-on-one defence‚” said Du Preez.
“It’s definitely an area of his game that he is going to have to work hard on‚ especially playing international rugby.”
Bosch is only 20 and he will bounce back from Saturday’s setback.
His potential move to fullback next season isn’t the only change at the stunned Sharks.
Assistant coaches Sean Everitt and Ryan Strudwick are believed to be vacating their positions with the former likely to take the reins of one of the age-group teams.
It was a Currie Cup final on which Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez will not reflect with fondness.
The former left the field with what looked like a serious ankle injury in the 22nd minute.
Dan was yellow-carded in the 70th minute which effectively dropped the curtain on his involvement in the match.
“It was a big loss‚” said Du Preez snr. “I’m not too sure how bad the ankle injury is. We’ll do X-rays and have a clearer picture.
“A yellow card in a final always comes at a cost. At that time‚ technically we were still in the game. To lose a guy then for 10 minutes just creates more momentum for the opposition‚” said Du Preez.
Ultimately though‚ Western Province’s grunt upfront and their timely advances on the scoreboard broke the Sharks’ back.
“They were desperate to win this thing‚” Dobson said of his side before delivering a message to the men in suits who run the game.
“Maybe we get blinded by these great occasions thinking that everything is okay with the Currie Cup. I think the tournament has some challenges that need addressing.
“You see the passion. It’s a special tournament. We must have a look at the first few weeks of the tournament.
“It was tough for the Lions overlapping with Super Rugby‚ Wednesday fixtures‚ that sort of stuff.
“South African Rugby [Union] will be doing [the game] a great disservice if we don’t improve it. Once tradition goes‚ it’s gone.
“We have to fix it before it gets too bad . . . like Metrorail.” — DDC FLYHALF Martin du Toit has been ruled out of the Southern Kings’ PRO14 match against Ulster at the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele on Saturday after sustaining a concussion against Glasgow Warriors.
The other bad news for the beleaguered Kings is that skipper Michael Willemse is a doubtful starter for the Ulster clash because of an abdominal strain.
Willemse left the field clutching his abdomen after 30 minutes during his team’s 43-13 defeat to Glasgow Warriors on Friday and his departure was a major blow for the Kings.
“Martin sustained a concussion in his debut game,” Kings team doctor Clement Plaatjies said.
“He will follow the normal return to play protocol so once he is symptom free for one week, we can start with his return to play. He will probably only be ready for the Scarlets game on November 26.
“Captain Michael Willemse has been struggling with an abdominal strain for some time which does not really give him any issues in training, but seems to flare up during games.
“This was at its worst during the Glasgow game and we are paying a lot more attention to that. Our plan is to get a scan when the team return to Port Elizabeth from Scotland to see exactly what is going on there.”
Players who took knocks to the shoulders were Alshaun Bock and Rossouw de Klerk and they will be monitored this week.
Kings head coach Deon Davids said his team had been hampered by the loss of hooker Willemse and flyhalf Du Toit.
“We were a bit unlucky to get crucial injuries at times when we had a bit of momentum and we were under their skin. We lost our captain Michael Willemse early in the game as well as Martin du Toit who did some good stuff.”
The defeat against Glasgow was a seventh straight loss for the Kings, who will be looking to redeem themselves against Ulster.
Davids said he remained proud of his team, despite their slow start to the season.
“We have a young group of players and they have learned a lot against Glasgow. I think they will be better next time.
“We are bleeding about the loss, but we are not discouraged. We will keep on working hard on individual improvement and our execution,” he said.
After small crowds watched their opening home matches against Leinster and Zebre, the Kings are hoping for a better turnout in Kwazakhele.
After the Ulster clash, they will also have home games against Scarlets and Edinburgh as they bid to turn things around before a break during the festive season. The scorers: Glasgow Warriors 43: Tries: Stuart Hogg, Niko Matawalu, Nick Grigg, Zander Fagerson, Matt Smith, George Horne, George Turner. Conversions: Adam Hastings (2), Ruaridth Jackson (2).
Southern Kings 13: Try: Jacques Nel. Conversion: Oliver Zono. Penalties: Masixole Banda (2)