WP look to their Boks for Sharks test

WESTERN Province attack coach Dawie Snyman says they will have to match the Sharks up front if they want to keep the Durban team’s backs from doing damage on Saturday.

Province will travel to Kings Park for their last Currie Cup round-robin game this weekend in the hopes of securing a win to bag a home semifinal.

John Dobson’s side put themselves under pressure in Johannesburg last weekend when they succumbed to the Golden Lions, so they have to beat the Sharks in order to play a semi match at Newlands.

Apart from watching their own mistakes and limiting what plagued them at Ellis Park, Snyman says they will also keep an eye on the Sharks’ “dangerous” backs.

“The Sharks have showed that they want to play with tempo, but they are also very physical and they win their matches through forward dominance, and that’s how they bring their backs into the game,” Snyman said.

“(S’bu) Nkosi hurt us at Newlands, so he’s one to watch and he’s shown that he is one for the future.

“But if we aren’t going to match them up front, we’ll give their backs space. But we also want to give space to our players who are dangerous in space.”

With players like utility back Dillyn Leyds and tighthead prop Wilco Louw back in the mix after their Springbok stints, WP will receive a much-needed boost.

But Snyman was nonetheless happy with his team’s Bok injection ahead of Saturday

“They (Leyds and Louw) were at training today and their experience is really valuable,” he said.

Against the Lions, WP were in control for the greater part of the match, but unforced errors and shaky defence left them defenceless against the Johannesburg-based outfit.

When asked what they will do differently this weekend, Snyman said: “It’s individual errors that put us under pressure, but you can’t put it down to one player. We need to be focused on what we want to do and our execution.

“The Sharks had a bye last week so I think they’ll do everything to get the things in place for the semis.”