Two heads better than one for EP Elephants — Slater
EP rugby’s strategy of having co-captains rather than a single leader is proving that two heads are always better than one when important decisions have to be made, Elephants centre Sherwin Slater said.
With EP eyeing a berth in the Currie Cup First Division final, Slater and loose forward Diego Williams will be making the decisions jointly when the Elephants face the Falcons in Kempton Park on Saturday.
Thanks to their win over the Boland Cavaliers at the De Wet Stadium in Despatch on Saturday, EP are in the second spot on the log and well-positioned to qualify for the final.
The Falcons are fourth on the log with 28 points, but have the advantage of a game in hand over EP and will be hungry for points at the Barnard Stadium.
“I’m enjoying the role of cocaptain with Diego and it is working well for the team,” Slater said.
“We have a good understanding and we are good mates on and off the field, and that makes things much easier for us.
“Two heads will always be better than one.
“Our strong point against Boland was that we had a good plan given to us by our coaches.
“In the heavy rain in Despatch, we executed that game plan and it paid off.
“I was happy with our overall team effort because we stuck to our game plan and we came away with a valuable win. I know what we as a team and also the coaches are capable of and we are also a big family.
“So we will control what we can control and that’s sticking to our structures and doing what we know we can do with the ball and also without the ball.
“We are facing a tough game against the Falcons on Saturday because they are a very structured team.
“EP know what they’ll bring to us and so we are just going to have to wait and see.
“Every team always has work-ons and that was the case for EP after we beat Boland.
“This week we will have a sit-down meeting and go through everything with the coaches and see where we can improve.
“For us it will always be sticking to what we know and that’s the plan the coaches have for us going into this Falcons encounter.”
Williams echoed Slater’s view that having two leaders on the field was proving successful for the Elephants.
“Co-captain Sherwin Slater and I enjoy working together and we always consult one another before decisions are made,” he said.
There are no First Division semifinals in 2023 and the top two teams on the log will meet in the final.