Kings determined to end season with bang
THE Southern Kings want to leave a proud legacy as they prepare for their final two Super Rugby games of the season, says experienced prop Schalk Ferreira .
The Kings face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, before a final showdown against the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth on Friday next week.
Ferreira, who played off the bench when the Kings beat the Jaguares last week, said the team were looking forward to a tough game in Pretoria.
“This will be another South African derby where a lot of pride will be involved,” he said from Sun City, where the Kings are holding a training camp.
“We don’t care about the log positions. What we care about is the legacy we leave and both the Bulls and the Kings will have a lot to play for when it comes to pride.
“The Bulls did well in Dur- ban to beat the Sharks in their last game and I think we will see a top Bulls side come out against us with all guns firing.”
Ferreira said he felt the Kings were playing better as the season progressed.
“It was a big positive for us to go to Argentina and get a win after the break for the international window.
“But, by camping at Sun City after our return from Argentina, we have cut down on travel time and we can get used to the climate and playing at altitude.
“Now we want to maintain the momentum we gained against the Jaguares and carry it through to the Bulls,” he said.
“[The Bulls and Cheetah games] will both be big matches.
“The Kings have shown that they travel well and the longer we stay together the better we perform.
“After [our] big defeat in Buenos Aires the last time we played there, it was massive to get a win this time.
“Many of the Jaguares players we played against had just been involved in a test series against England.”
Meanwhile, flyhalf Tiaan Schoeman is expected to start for the Bulls in the eagerly awaited clash.
Tony Jantjies, who started at No 10 for the Bulls when they beat the Sharks, is not expected to recover from a rib injury he sustained early in the game at Kings Park, but a decision is still to be made on his availability.
In Durban, Schoeman came on for Jantjies in the 18th minute in a game the Bulls went on to win 30-17, thanks in part to three tries from Warrick Gelant.
Springbok flank Roelof Smit’s planned return to action for the Bulls was put on hold after a scan revealed the flanker had torn a knee ligament and would be out for six to eight weeks. This came as part of a triple blow to the Bulls’ hopes of fielding a fully fit side.
Smit had just returned to the field this past weekend for the Blue Bulls in their SuperSport Challenge quarterfinal match against the Sharks, but lasted only 10 minutes before he was forced to hobble off the field with the injury.
The Bok made his debut on the end-of-year tour last year, but tore a bicep in the process and has not played since.
The Kings are Bulls are expected to name their teams today.