Kings coach wants better discipline

SOUTHERN Kings head coach Deon Davids will demand better discipline from his players after they went down 32-10 against Connacht in a Pro14 clash in Galway on Saturday.

A stern stickler on disciplinary matters, Davids would not have been happy when wing Sibusiso Sithole was shown a yellow card for an illegal tackle.

The card was dished out by Scottish referee Mike Adamson with the scores still locked at 0-0 after only 10 minutes of play.

“There was a lifting action and you recklessly put the player on the ground. Dangerous play,” Adamson told Sithole as he left the field for the naughty chair.

Despite this incident, Davids will be pleased that his team were competitive for long spells despite being put under pressure at scrum time.

After Sithole’s card, Connacht had new energy and they capitalised on their numerical advantage when Tom Farrell crashed over for Connacht’s first try.

With the odds already stacked against them, Davids knows that there is no room for disciplinary issues as his team battle to find their feet in the new league.

Last week the Kings were beaten 57-10 in their opening Pro14 match by the Scarlets in Wales.

The Kings were eventually outscored by four tries to two by a Connacht side who went down against Glasgow in their opening game last week.

For Connacht, Farrell, Eoghan Masterson and Ultan Dillane went over in the first half, with Darragh Leader also scoring and Jack Carty kicking nine points.

Berton Klaasen and Luvuyo Pupuma were the Kings’ try-scorers in front of 5 000 fans at Galway Sportsfield.

After Farrell’s opening try, the hosts remained in control, with the forwards dominant at the set-piece, and they stretched their lead to 10 after 26 minutes when Carty slotted his first penalty.

The Kings hit back with their first try on 32 minutes to show they were not going to lie down against the Irish side.

After good work by the forwards, and a change in direction, Klaasen stretched to touch down despite a last-ditch effort from Tiernan O’Halloran to stop him.

Connacht are now third in Conference A on six points, while the Kings are bottom of Conference B in the revamped competition without a point.

Kings replacement Luvuyo Pupuma went over to reduce his side's deficit two minutes from time after John Muldoon had been sent to the sin bin for a shoulder charge on opposite number Andisa Nstila.

Thanks to an industrious display, Connacht’s Bundee Aki was named man of the match.

After two games on the road, the Kings will play their first home match against Leinster at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

In contrast to the Kings, Leinster have made a fast start to the competition, winning their opening games against Cardiff Blues and Newport.

There is much hard work ahead for the Kings who will want to sharpen their lineout play and look for extra sharpness in their first-phase play.