Kings try out fresh approach
Sharper focus ahead of clash against the Scarlets on Sunday
AFTER eight straight defeats, the Southern Kings have set themselves new goals for the second half of the PRO14 season, head coach Deon Davids said. After playing their last game on November 4 against Ulster, the Kings will be back in action on Sunday, when they face champions the Scarlets, from Llanelli, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Davids said his team had made good use of their break by bolstering their game on and off the field.
“This time has been great with the squad. We have had an opportunity to work on off-the-field stuff like getting to know one another much better,” Davids said.
“There has been much more integration between the players and they have learnt a lot from each other.
“The team have also been setting new goals for the second half of the season and revisiting the values we decided on and how we can implement them.
“It is important that you have a good culture base where everyone is happy.
“From now on, we can take that to the field and we will have a better understanding and relationship.
“We will do things with more purpose because we understand why we are here and what we want to achieve.
“We have been working very hard on our conditioning and fundamental skills.
“We are also working on one or two ideas [for developing] our play ahead of the Scarlets game.”
With several new players on trial at the Kings, Davids may face one or two selection headaches before he names his team to face the Scarlets.
In a trial game last week, Davids had a chance to run the rule over new faces Anthony Volmink (Lions, wing) Gerrie Labuschagne (Lions, fullback), Bernard Janse van Rensburg (Sharks, flyhalf), Freddie Muller (Boland, scrumhalf) and Le Roux Roets (Sharks, lock).
While the Kings have had a break from PRO14 action, the Scarlets have been campaigning in the AngloWelsh Cup.
Playing with an experimental team packed with young players, the Scarlets were beaten 40-0 by English team Exeter Chiefs last week.
On Friday, the Scarlets went down 23-18 to Newport’s Gwent Dragons in their second cup match.
The match against the Scarlets kicks off at 3pm; gates will open at 1pm. The Kings will name their team on Friday.
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