Madibaz coach calls for focus
Team needs to bounce back, Maidza says
IMPROVED control of their set pieces and better game management are vital if the Madibaz want to bounce back from their narrow Varsity Cup defeat against the Ikey Tigers. That is the view of disappointed Madibaz coach David Maidza, who is looking for his team to step up when they play the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein on Monday.
Madibaz were leading 17-11 early in the second half, before they fell away to eventually go down 27-17 to the Tigers.
It was the Madibaz’s first home game in almost two years after an upgrade to their stadium.
“We did not control the game at all and we played straight into their hands,” Maidza said.
“The Madibaz cannot allow so many breakdown opportunities to go the way of their opponents.
“Ikeys also put us under pressure at the scrums and we crumbled.
“We knew we would be up against it after we lost our tighthead prop Dylan Barendse, but we cannot use that as an excuse.
“The team did not control our set pieces and that is the bottom line.
“We can also look at a lot of things like scrums, lineouts and breakdowns.
“On top of that, we were not playing in the right areas. We could have won the match, if we had taken our penalty points and gone for poles.
“So there are a couple of factors like not playing in the right zones early on.
“At this level, you have to handle and manage the game better than we did.”
Maidza said he had called the power play because time was running out for his team.
However, despite being two men down, the Ikeys scored a seven pointer via Pieter Schoonraad to nullify any advantage the Madibaz enjoyed.
“It was the 55th minute and you have to call it before the 60th minute, otherwise you lose it,” Maidza said.
“We were under pressure and we did not control the scrum.
“Maybe I called it in the wrong zone. These are the things you look back on and think it was the wrong call at the time. “Who knows? But it is done and we are disappointed.”
Maidza is calling for more focus ahead of Monday’s game.
“The Madibaz can improve on their first game,” he said.
“I wish we had got a better result, but this is a side I am very confident about.
“We have talked for far too long now, and we have not delivered in a long time.
“It is time we kept our mouths shut and did the work we are supposed to do.
“There are boys here who are putting their hands up for Currie Cup, provincial and PRO14 status. They must just keep on working.
“I do not want any fingers pointed around in the squad. These are young men who are still learning the game.
“It is important that we do not hammer it out and get the confidence down.
“We must build the confidence, because we know we have a good squad.
“We will get better and will build on the positives for next week.
“We cannot be distraught about one performance when we were not at our best.
“Hopefully we can come back and fix it up. We will work on where the errors happened and how they happened.”