Elephants carry battle forward
● Gutsy EP can take plenty of positives to new season
EP’s Elephants have many positives they can carry through to next season, when they will be aiming to go all the way to the Currie Cup First Division final, EP coach Chumani Booi said.
EP’s hopes of reaching the 2019 final were dashed when they crashed to a heavy 62-31 defeat against the Griffons in Welkom on Saturday.
In the other semifinal, the rampant Argentinian Jaguares registered a 37-29 win over the Falcons to book their spot in the final.
There has also been vast improvement in the junior ranks, with EP reaching the final of the SA Rugby U20 tournament.
They will play the Griffons in the final in Potchefstroom on Saturday after beating the Pumas 31-26 in the semifinals.
“If you look at the season, EP started slowly and then finished off very strongly when we won three of our last four games,” Booi said.
“We did well to give ourselves a shot at a semifinal and that shows that overall we made good progress by ending third on the log.
“That is a big positive for us to take through to next year.
“One should also remember this was our first year together and we didn’t have a preseason.
“In addition, 50% of the team are guys who are working or studying, and not fulltime professionals.
“So it was very satisfying to see the way they stepped up to the challenge.
“Now the team will be aiming to make a success of next season by going all the way to the final.
“It was very satisfying to see the way the guys fought and clawed their way back in the competition and gave everything.”
Booi said his men showed tremendous character after losing their first two games.
“I saw a lot of maturity coming through and the guys grew as a team as the season progressed,” he said.
“This is a team that can be built on to ensure that there is consistency and continuity for next season.
“That will be very important.”
EP skipper Lubabalo “Giant” Mtyanda also praised the efforts of his improving team.
“We were satisfied with the season as a whole, but not happy with our semifinal defeat against the Griffons,” Mtyanda said.
“Everyone, including the president [Andre Rademan], is happy with what we have achieved.
“We have lifted the name of the province again. Even though we had our ups and downs, it was a good season.
“We took the season into another sphere from being last and now we ended third.
“That is a great achievement for the guys,” Mtyanda said.
“It was satisfying to get those wins along the way.
“We kept up the momentum and raised the brand of EP rugby.
“I truly believe EP is on the road to a good recovery.”