Dotwana lays down the law
Defeat in their own backyard will not be worth contemplating for the Isuzu Southern Kings when they face Cardiff Blues in their opening Guinness PRO14 clash on September 28.
Kings assistant coach Vuyo Zangqa said no-nonsense chair Loyiso Dotwana had made it clear that home games were “non-negotiable”.
Tough-talking Dotwana has laid down the law as he bids to win back the waning confidence of supporters who deserted the Kings in droves after two poor seasons.
The chair and the business consortium that owns the franchise want to transform the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium into a fortress.
Since their Guinness PRO14 debut in 2018, the Kings have won only three of their 42 games and Dotwana wants the rot to stop.
“This is a new team and a new season, and we want to start afresh,” Zangqa said.
“The chairman has already said that our home games are not negotiable, so we need to start winning games and for us that is the main aim.
“We will be looking at that and making sure the players understand every single game is important, especially the home games.
“Now the players must feel comfortable.
“Most of our players have family in Port Elizabeth, so there is the excitement of your family seeing you happy. “That is important. “When we go onto the field we want to make sure the players understand how we will play certain teams and what we will bring.
“We will also review to make sure we are ready for the weekend.
“We don’t want to draw too much on the past and we want to make sure our playing structures are 100%.”
Originally named as the Kings’ director of high performance, interim head coach Robbi Kempson is mapping out a winning strategy with his assistants.
Former Bok Braam van Straaten (defence and kicking), Zangqa (backline) and Wayne Taylor (conditioning coach) will all be fine-tuning the Kings machine for battle.
Towering lock JC Astle, among the frontrunners to captain the Kings against Cardiff, said home ground advantage had to maximised.
“We are targeting our home games, which are nonnegotiables.
“We aim to put our best foot forward,” Astle said.
“To be back at the stadium is awesome – it is a magnificent venue to play at and we are really looking forward to that.
“We will take it game by game.”