Kings targeting home-game wins, says Grey
THE Southern Kings have set themselves the goal of winning their home games and are ready for the new Super Rugby season to start, says flying wing Siyanda Grey.
The Kings kick off what promises to be a gruelling campaign against the Jaguares at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on February 25 and Grey believes the team will do better than last season.
“We have been working hard and everything has been looking good at training and our pre-season has been very good,” Grey said.
“The players look ready and we are on the right track.
“I have had bad luck with injuries in past seasons, but the good thing is I trained the entire the pre-season without any injuries. So I think I am ready.”
Last season, the Kings could win only two of the 15 matches they played after they were hastily assembled after a cash crisis hit the EP Rugby Union.
The Kings started their preseason in November and had a week-long camp in Port Alfred before winning their warm-up matches against the Border Bulldogs and the SWD Eagles.
“There is a bit of nervousness ahead of the first game,” Grey said.
“Super Rugby is a huge tournament and everyone is excited. Next week every player wants to be in the match-day 23, so let’s hope I will also be in that starting lineup.
“This year we want to focus on winning our home games.
“Our main focus is to do better than last season.
“This time we have prepared well and I think we will do much better.”
Grey was named in the Kings squad for their inaugural season in the Super Rugby competition in 2013.
Although he was not included in the early stages, he was called into the squad following injuries to Sergeal Petersen and Hadleigh Parkes.
He then made four consecutive starts, against the Cheetahs, Waratahs, Highlanders and then in the return leg against the Cheetahs.
Grey, one of the speedsters in the Kings team, can play at wing or centre.
“I will play wherever the coach picks me. At the moment, I am still comfortable on the wing,” he said.
“I have been running at centre when other centres are not training. Even in the session against the Madibaz I did have a run at centre. So I am in and out at centre and wing.”
Grey started his career in the youth system at the EP Kings, where he represented the U21 side in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the U21 Provincial Championship competition.
He was included in the Kings’ 2010 Vodacom Cup squad, scoring on his debut against Western Province.
In 2010, he was called up to an Emerging Springboks Sevens team that played in the Safaricom Sevens tournament in Kenya.
The next year he was included in the South African Kings team for the 2011 IRB Nations Cup. He was the leading tryscorer, scoring six tries in three appearances.