Kings aim to lose ‘whipping boy’ tag

THERE always seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over the Kings’ Super Rugby campaigns since they first played in the competition in 2013.

First it was the noose of relegation followed by self-destructing elements within their administration, and now it is talk of a possible axing of two or three teams for a trimmed down Super competition of the future.

Through all of this the Kings have somehow survived. And with a full preseason that was without incident, and coach Deon Davids able to work with the bulk of his squad, the Kings seem ready to prove their worth in the competition.

That future will start at their home base of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth today (5:15pm) where they face the Jaguares.

With the likes of Juan Martin Hendandez, Nicolas Sanchez and Martin Landajo all out injured, the Kings will have their best chance this season of making an emphatic statement that they are no longer whipping boys, but a team to be wary of.

Their results from last year can easily be deceiving with just two wins from 15 matches, but much of that had to do with the boardroom politics that almost saw them not take to the field. In the latter matches of the competition, there were signs of improvement and a growing self-belief that had opposition teams having to fight until the death. In fleeting moments the warning signs were there, that with a few wins under their belts, the Kings could become a team not to take for granted.

That is what coach Davids is looking for this season.

“Winning is a culture, just like losing, and for us it is important that we go out there full of confidence in ourselves and what we can bring. We understand we are playing against a quality side and we will have to focus on ourselves and what we want to bring and how we are going to do it. We are looking forward to expressing ourselves and seeing some of our experienced players and the youngsters getting an opportunity to play Super Rugby,” said Davids.

In the same fixture last year in the “Friendly City” the Kings showed plenty of fight and intent against a side that had posted over 70 points against them in Buenos Aires, running out 29-22 winners. Davids will be asking for a similar, if not better, performance today.

What Davids wants from his side is a performance worthy of a Super Rugby team starting from the dominance at setpieces to playing a physical game at speed.

“This is Super Rugby, so we must step up. We expect a very physical and high-tempo game and from our set-pieces we must ensure that we handle that battle. We must also step up to ensure that we contest the battle of the collisions. It is going to be hard and physical but I think we are prepared for that and the guys are looking forward to getting stuck into them.”

Beating the Jaguares will not only serve as a massive confidence booster but it will send out a timely warning that the Kings won’t go quietly into the rugby wilderness. They have learned from surviving the adversity of the last five years when everyone thought they were dead and buried.