ON THE VICTORY MARCH
WSU’s All Blacks plan to bounce back
Losing two consecutive games got the better of the WSU All Blacks as they aim to clinch the Varsity Shield title, but they will do everything in their power to bounce back to their former glory when they host University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) at BCM Stadium in East London on Monday.
The All Blacks had a good start to their campaign as expected of the team who were the runners-up of the competition last season, this after beating UFH Blues 36-22 in the first game this season.
But that victory was shortlived when they were thrashed twice by NMU Madibaz and CPUT.
Although the All Blacks bounced back on Monday with a 32-6 victory against Rhodes – a result All Blacks team manager Akhona Mgijima thought would go a long way to boost their confidence – he maintained “we were flat during that game”.
He said the All Blacks would be on top form when they host UKZN.
“We’ve been focusing on the players’ psychology, because we’ve lost two consecutive games.
“Our players can play well and they’ve got the abilities to win games as they understand the game’s structure very well.
“But our mindset has not been on point and we felt we needed to motivate our players more.
“Because UKZN will take the game to us, but our guys will get the edge over them.”
Mgijima said although they were not at their best performance against Rhodes they had positives they took out of that match.
“There was that psychological block after losing to NMU that made us to suffer a lot because we are not used to losing two consecutive games.
“So we’ve been back to the drawing board, and we want to stay positive and believe that it’s possible to win the next couple of games.
“Players like Phuzukuvela Sithole gave us a huge boost in that game against Rhodes, and we want to see more guys coming out with their talents as well.”
WSU captain Phumlani Blaauw said they knew how tough Rhodes would be, and they worked out a strategy to win the game.
“The match was a well-contested game in the first 20 minutes.
“We played with a side with a lot of changes, trying different combinations.
“Rhodes stuck up for a fight into the first 20 minutes, but we knew they would eventually crack. So we were patient and waited for that moment to strike.
“Eventually they cracked and we managed to capitalise,” said Blaauw.
Sithole, who won the FNB Player that Rocks accolade, said the award meant something more to him.
“The team is definitely feeling really great because we had two home losses in a row.
“The losses caused a lot of emotion in the team because it was something that had never happened before.
“But after the hard-fought win away from home, our confidence is definitely picking up.
“Personally, getting Player That Rocks is something that I will cherish forever.
“Not just because of the nature of getting the cheque and the Pink Short, but because this was my first time playing a full game after being in the squad for three years, and it hasn’t been an easy three years.”