De Allende: Stormers must keep digging and digging...
ROBYN JOHANNES enters the final three games of his Cape Town City career before joining Wits next season. He is clear about his objective: he wants the Cape side to finish as high up on the log standings as possible.
Johannes is an individual who knows what he wants. He thinks deeply about situations before making decisions. So there’s no doubt, while many may think he’s making a mistake in leaving City, it has to be remembered that he is 31 years old. It’s usually the stage of a footballer’s career when he starts thinking about life after football. For Johannes, more than likely, the Wits offer provides an opportunity to ease his mind with regard to post-football financial issues.
City tackle Polokwane City in a PSL fixture at the Peter Mokaba Stadium this evening (kickoff 7.30pm) – and Johannes is expecting a really tough, competitive outing against opponents not yet clear of the drop zone. The Cape side’s final two games will then be against Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu. Having led the Cape team with distinction this season, Johannes admits they are in for a difficult evening against Polokwane, but he’s confident the team can get a positive result.
“Polokwane will be a difficult game,” said Johannes. “They’re a good footballing team and they are desperate for points. As for us, things haven’t gone our way lately and we only have ourselves to blame. But that is what makes this game so important – we have to make sure that we get maximum points from here on in. We have to treat the remaining three games like cup finals.”
With City, the constant refrain over the last few weeks has been the team’s inability to convert possession and territory into goals. Johannes remains positive that there will be an improvement in the attacking third during the final three games.
“It has been the story of our season – we play well, we build up nicely from the back and through the midfield, but, as soon we hit the final third, it all goes wrong,” he said. “It is a problem, but we are working hard at it. In fact, it’s something we work on at every training session. But it should just be about us continuing to have confidence in the strikers and believing that they will come good. So we will keep going – I think we will turn the corner and there’s going to come a time when one goal goes in, and then we will go on to score three or four.”
With Wits his next destination, Johannes doesn’t mind taking a leap into the unknown; he’s done it before. He was just 15 when he left Strandfontein in the Mother City to pursue a football career which started at the University of Pretoria. He went on to play for Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Golden Arrows, Maritzburg United and AmaZulu before joining City.
As a footballer, he has never shirked a challenge. Like any other professional, his career has had its ups and downs – but, whatever the circumstances, he’s always believed in himself. Now, as the City captain and central defender embarks on his final three games for the club, he’s determined to make his exit a successful one.
“I want to finish off on a high,” said Johannes. “I will always be thankful for City for giving me an opportunity during a difficult stage of my career. They believed in me – and I took the opportunity they offered with both hands. It would be an injustice if City don’t finish in the top five at least – this is a club with huge potential and it is going to make great strides in the future. So, I want to continue to do the job I have been doing for them – for the club, for my teammates and for the fans, who always keep me going.”
While Johannes prepares to leave on a high, it is just as incumbent on his teammates to provide this invaluable squad member and inspirational presence with a great send-off. STORMERS CENTRE Damian de Allende has a message for the Cape Faithful. And it’s not one that he wants the Stormers to deliver in words.
He wants that message to be given through action. And it should be made clear in their Super Rugby performance against the Rebels on Friday.
The Stormers will host the Australians in their first game at Newlands after six defeats away. So how badly they’ll want to get a win after a record like that cannot be doubted.
The only games the Stormers have managed to win this season were their three home games against the Jaguares, the Blues and the Reds, but banking on home ground-advantage to pull them through just won’t be enough going forward.
And De Allende now wants the Stormers to “trade words for action”.
“It is tough for us to get any kind of message across with words at this point‚ we have to trade words for action‚” De Allende said.
“I thought that our meeting after the Sharks game at the weekend was a good one‚ and we also put a lot of purpose into our training today (Monday). But it is pointless talking about it.”
“We need to go out there and produce on the field. Hopefully our performance on Friday will be a message that will bring in the crowds for the following week.”
Following the Stormers’ 24-17 defeat to the Stormers, coach Robbie Fleck explained that it was individual errors that were letting them down.
And the Springbok centre agreed with Fleck about the player error rate.
“It has been a tough time for us and I can assure you all the players are hurting‚” De Allende said.
“It hasn’t gone for us this season but we just have to keep working hard and keep digging and digging.
“The Sharks (match) was always going to be a tough game for us away. We thought we were much better in the game than we had been in the previous matches‚ but Fleckie was right; soft moments let us down.”
The Stormers’ hopes of catching up to the Lions in the South African conference and ensuring a home play-off spot are long gone. But they can crack into one of the top eight spots and make the knockouts as a wild card – if they win their remaining games, which include visits from the Bulls and the Chiefs following their date with the Rebels, before they travel to Hong Kong to face the Sunwolves.
“The two away games (Sunwolves and Jaguares) will have to be won too if we are to have any chance‚” De Allende said.
“We will just have to take it week by week. Winning is a habit and losing can become a habit. Hopefully we will build up enough confidence to get the win away from home when next we travel.
“The Rebels started the season like a house on fire and they have very talented players. They have changed a lot and improved a lot since last year. They are physical but they also have lots of flair. They have nippy backs and good wings.
“But we’ve had a nice chat about what to expect and we will be preparing well for the game and are confident we can produce a performance the Newlands crowd will be pleased with.”