Frustrated Davids says team just ‘went flat’ against Scots

FRUSTRATED Southern Kings coach Deon Davids said his team “went flat” when Edinburgh surged out of sight with three late tries to clinch a 48-21 win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Replacement Sam Hidalgo-Clyne scored a hat-trick off the bench during a sensational 10-minute blitz, which condemned the Kings to a 10th consecutive defeat in the PRO14 competition.

The Kings were still in the game at half time when they trailed the Scottish outfit 22-16 in front of 3 600 fans, who had been hoping to watch the Kings break their duck.

Three tries in the opening 19 minutes put Edinburgh on the front foot from the outset, but the Kings fought back to cut the deficit to six points at half time.

“They were just stronger than us in the last 25 minutes. We just went flat,” Davids said.

“We expected them to start very fast, but we could just not slow their ball down and get our hands on the ball.

“I think the pace with which they started caught us towards the end of the game. Maybe the turnaround from Sunday, when we played against the Scarlets, to Friday was just too much for us. We were just flat after we had been in the fight earlier.

“Also, our fundamental skills were poor at times, and there were too many basic errors that let us down.”

Looking at the positives, Davids said he had been happy with the way his team fought back after conceding three early tries.

“We came back into the game and at half time I thought we could keep up the pressure. But we let ourselves down with fundamental errors, when we were on attack we lost the ball in contact, or there was a simple pass that went to ground.

“That is the difference if you want to win at this level.

“If you look at their team, I think there were just not so many mistakes, and they kept the ball well.

“You cannot play rugby without the ball. If you give the opposition so much opportunity it will cost you.”

After suffering a heavy defeat against the Cheetahs, Edinburgh bounced back to end their South African mini-tour on a high note.

Edinburgh started the match against the Kings at a hot pace and their relentless pressure paid off when skipper Fraser McKenzie crashed over for his team’s first try after three minutes.

The Scottish side, eager to run the ball at every opportunity, had a second try in the fifth minute when Fijian loose forward Viliame Mata showed his pace to put his side 12-0 ahead.

There was another setback for the Kings after nine minutes when their skipper Schalk Ferreira was yellowcarded for a dangerous tackle.

Edinburgh were clearly hurting after the Cheetahs defeat, and they were out to make amends against a Kings team who have been struggling to make headway in the competition.

It is back to the drawing board for the Kings, who return to action on January 5 for the return match against Edinburgh in Scotland.

Scorers: Southern Kings 21: Tries: Harlon Klaasen, Dries van Scalkwyk. Conversion: Kurt Coleman. Penalties: Kurt Coleman (3) Edinburgh 48: Tries: Fraser McKenzie, Viliame Mata, Grant Gilchrist, Dougie Fife, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (3). Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (2), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (3). Penalty: Jaco van der Walt