Davids has high hopes for Kings
PRETORIA: The Southern Kings will take to their northern hemisphere odyssey with the same bravado and fearless spirit they finished off Super Rugby this year according to coach Deon Davids.
As much as it is an adventure of a lifetime into the unknown, the hurriedly-assembled Port Elizabeth-based outfit feel that the PRO14 is an opportunity to build on the legacy of their best Super Rugby season yet.
In all honesty, it won’t be easy for the Kings as they have had to build an almost brand new side after many of their star players from Super Rugby left the franchise at the end of that competition but Davids remains optimistic that he can rebuild Rome from the rubble that he has at his disposal.
Gone are the stars like Lionel Cronje, Makazole Mapimpi and Chris Cloete but in their place comes a string of future stars who are lining up to make a name for themselves.
“We are looking forward and excited with what lies ahead. It is a new environment and a different challenge,” said Davids ahead of their opener against the Scarlets on Saturday.
“It is still one of my biggest dreams is to have the same team for more than one year and build with it. Obviously you want to evolve and do some new things, so for this season I will stick to the basic method. I understand it is not going to be a quick fix, we will have to take this step by step.”
“You never run onto a field to lose a game. But I also think you have to be very realistic and get the balance right in terms of how you keep that competitiveness and how you also not get lost in the result and lose sight of what is happening in front of you.
“But even if we get the result, win or lose we will always go back and see what was good and what wasn’t good and what we can improve on. I think the biggest secret is to work to improve consistently and never get lost in a result,” said Davids.
And there will be no bigger reality check and baptism of fire for the Kings than facing the Scarlets on Saturday and Irish outfit Connacht a week later and this is where Davids firmly believes will be the beginning of the makings of his team.
“We are in for two big games and it’s a serious way to welcome us into the competition. But I think after these two weeks we will definitely know what the competition is about and what is expected and we can use that as a foundation to start building from. I think this is the best challenge we could face so that we can start preparing and working throughout the competition.”