Kings’ surmount wet conditions in clash
Heavy rain proved favourable for the Isuzu Southern Kings when they beat the Stormers 13-3 in a warm-up friendly, Kings stand-in head coach Vuyo Zangqa said.
The Kings led 7-3 at halftime in slippery conditions which made handling difficult for both teams at a rain drenched Loerie Park in Knysna on Friday night.
Zangqa said the Kings had become accustomed to wet weather conditions while playing in Europe during the Guinness PRO14 competition, and this had given them an edge over their Cape rivals.
A delighted Zangqa, who was standing in for interim head coach Robbi Kempson, praised his team for their brave defensive effort against the Cape Town Super Rugby franchise.
The Stormers were without several frontline players, including skipper Siya Kolisi, because they were being rested for Sunday’s friendly against the Sharks.
“Because it was raining the Stormers could not handle the conditions,” Zangqa said.
“But because of what the PRO14 is like, The Kings know wet conditions and we managed to get the Stormers out of their structure.
“The weather suited our style of play.
“Our boys defended very well and were clinical and they managed to pull the game off.
“It was nice to see the way we finished the game.
“Our backline was literally made up of U22 players.
“So we are building nicely with the team and hopefully we can take this forward for the rest of the season.”
On Saturday the Kings face a crunch PRO14 South African derby against the Cheetahs.