STUNNING VICTORY
Glasgow Warriors sent packing by Southern Kings
A stern “look you in the eye” dressingroom moment among teammates inspired the Isuzu Southern Kings to a stunning 38-28 win over the Glasgow Warriors, Kings head coach Deon Davids said.
The Kings started Saturday’s clash as rank outsiders against a shell-shocked Glasgow outfit, who found themselves 24-0 down at half-time at the Nelson Mandela University Madibaz Stadium.
There were five tries for the Kings, who delivered an inspiring display to pull off their first win in the Guinness PRO14 after four starts.
What made the win even sweeter for the Kings was that it played out under the approving eye of Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and his squad, who watched the action from the stands
“We looked each other in the eye before the game and spoke about effort,” Davids said.
“After that, we promised to look each other in the eye again after the game. The guys have done that and I am very proud of them.
“For the first time this season we had a good start and we built on that momentum.
“There was a lot of energy and focus before this game. I sensed that if the guys could keep that focus we could put in a good performance.
“I was happy about how we used the ball in the first half. We stuck to our structures and we scored some excellent tries.
“Now the guys must build on this and take the lessons out of this win. We can put up some good shows this season.”
Davids sounded a note of caution, warning his players that opposing teams would be gunning for the Kings now.
“The guys must understand this was a big performance, but it will get tougher now.
Teams will come for us and my players must be ready for the challenge.
“Last season was tough for us when week after week we worked so hard, but did not get the results.”
Glasgow head coach Dave Rennie said the result had surprised him.
“We did not play well enough, and the Kings played very well. It can happen in this competition,” Rennie said.
“The Kings were sharp and a lot more urgent than us.
“We gave them soft points early on and they got a lot of confidence from that.
“They just kept defending and we took long time to get going.
“It was a poor performance from us but you cannot take anything away from the Kings who played very well.
“It was a hell of a performance from them.
“They must get a lot of credit and they have something to build on.”
Rennie dismissed suggestions that his team may have taken the threat of the Kings too lightly. "We do our homework on each team each week," he said. “"We were clear on what was going to be important. It certainly wasn't a lack of respect for the Kings.
“We prepared as we do for every side. In the end they put the pressure on and they were rewarded.
“Glasgow were a long way off it today, but maybe it's a good lesson. We had to wait about 11 months last year to find that out.
“We need to be far more urgent.
“We need to be better in all departments, with and without the ball, because anyone can roll anyone in this competition.”
Scorers: Southern Kings 38: Tries: Yaw Penxe, Martin du Toit (2), Rudi van Rooyen, Harlon Klassen.
Conversions: Masixole Banda (5). Penalty: Banda.
Glasgow Warriors 28: Tries:
Nick Grigg, DTH van der Merwe (2), Fraser Brown. Conversions:
Adam Hastings (4).