John Dobson
After the DHL Stormers confirmed the hasty exit of Eddie Jones on Friday, we now look at potential candidates to take over the head coaching role at the Cape franchise.
The candidates are:
- John Mitchell
- Gert Smal
- John Dobson
- John Plumtree
- Nick Mallett
It once was the biggest game in South Africa, the highlight of the year – to determine the most supreme team in the country.
On Saturday the FINAL of the ABSA Currie Cup, still the premier domestic competition, will compete for a place in the spotlight with the BIGGEST game in Rugby Union – a World Cup showdown between South Africa and New Zealand.
However, the Xerox Golden Lions and DHL Western Province will play like, and the winners celebrate as if, they are involved in a Rugby World Cup Final.
The build-up may have been low-key – in comparison with other finals – but there is no doubt that the game will be every bit as intense and entertaining as any Final that has gone before.
Province coach John Dobson was keen to take on the underdog tag – pointing to the Lions’ 62 / 32 win 3 weeks ago and their unbeaten run as reasons why pundits are likely to bank on the home team.
However, he feels the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, in last week’s Semifinal Round, gave other teams a glimpse of how to bring the Emirates Airline Park-based team down to earth.
Golden Lions coach Johan Ackermann was not keen to take the ‘favourites’ tag offered to him by Dobson.
The wily Golden Lions mentor feels Western Province have a real chance of retaining their title.
Dillyn Leyds
DHL Western Province coach John Dobson pulled no punches in the wake of his team’s humiliating 29 / 47 loss to the Vodacom Blue Bulls.
The Blue Bulls, having trailed 15 / 16 at halftime and then 15 / 26 early in the 2nd half, went on to score 5 unanswered tries in the last half-hour – culminating in a 2nd-half rout in Pretoria at the weekend.
Dobson, who admitted to being embarrassed by his team’s performance, was particularly incensed at the behaviour of some players after wing Dillyn Leyds scored an intercept try in the 45th minute.
“We scored an intercept try – as the Bulls were about to score themselves – and we celebrated like we had won the game,” an irate Dobson said.
“To me the signs were already on the wall there,” he said of the celebratory dances behind the post, adding: “That was poor behaviour by us.
“If you score a 12-phase try, fair enough. They were about to score.
“That was a 14-point turnaround – it could have been much worse.”
Has the world gone mad? The Vodacom Blue Bulls will be playing an expansive game and DHL Western Province will kick for territory.
That is what is on the cards when South Africa’s biggest derby, the north-south Currie Cup showdown between the Blue Bulls and WP, take place at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Province have made it clear they want to build ‘scoreboard pressure’, building up a healthy lead before looking for tries and bonus points.
One gets the feeling the WP brains trust believe the Blue Bulls can’t chase a game once they are behind.
Both WP coach John Dobson and new captain Nizaam Carr said they will not be lured into a helter-skelter contest and will back their structures to wear the Blue Bulls down.
John Dobson
New DHL Western Province coach John Dobson has revealed his team for Friday’s 2015 ABSA Currie Cup opener against ORC Griquas in Kimberley (kick-off 15:30 SA Time).
Outside centre Juan de Jongh will lead a starting line-up that includes 2 DHL WP Currie Cup debutants, as well as 5 more on the bench. However, the playing squad includes 13 members of the matchday 22 from last year’s ABSA Currie Cup Final.
“It’s not a totally new team in terms of last season,” explained Dobson, “but this team, mainly the pack, has not played together a lot since last year’s Absa Currie Cup Final.
“That’s the challenge for us, to ensure we get the pack working together as quickly as possible in order to bring our dangerous backline into play.”
Front rowers Bongi Mbonambi and Wilco Louw are the ‘new’ faces in the Province starting XV, despite both having played at Vodacom Super Rugby level for the DHL Stormers already, with Marius Fourie (on loan from the SWD Eagles), Chris van Zyl, Chris Cloete, Jano Vermaak and Johnny Kotze the debutants on the bench.
DHL Western Province edged the EP Kings 21 / 18 in their friendly clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday night.
In an exciting finish, the Kings, who trailed 14 / 13 at halftime, stormed on to the attack in the closing minutes but the WP defence held firm for the victory as the sides completed their match preparations for the Currie Cup starting on 8 August.
After a try by WP centre and captain Juan de Jongh gave the visitors a 21 / 13 lead in the 55th minute, the Kings gave themselves a chance at victory when left wing Luther Obi shot through a gap to narrow the margin to 3 points with 6 minutes remaining.
In the 1st half the Kings took a 7 / 0 lead after a try by prop Maks van Dyk, converted by fullback Scott van Breda, who also added 2 penalties.
WP hit back with tries by wings Kobus van Wyk and Seabelo Senatla, both converted by flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis.
John Dobson
New DHL Western Province head coach John Dobson has selected a powerful combination for Saturday’s ABSA Currie Cup pre-season clash against the EP Kings in Port Elizabeth (kick-off 19:00 SA Time).
Having fielded a largely untried DHL WP XV selection against the Steval Pumas last weekend, Dobson has recalled most of his 1st-choice players for Saturday’s meeting.
Squad captain Juan de Jongh will team up with national skipper Jean de Villiers in the DHL WP midfield, with powerhouse flanker Rynhardt Elstadt named at No 6 upon his return from a leg injury which saw him miss most of the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby season.
“It’s great to have Juan take charge and to welcome back Rynhardt Elstadt,” Dobson told the www.wprugby.com website.
“(Prop) JP Smith and (backs) Louis Schreuder, Johnny Kotze and Dillyn Leyds were not considered due to their niggles, which, fortunately, are not of a long-term nature, whilst (hooker) Mikey Willemse, as we know, picked up an injury last weekend which will see him out for 8 to 10 weeks.”
Oli Kebble, Bongi Mbonambi and Entienne Swanepoel will pack down in the front row, with Jean Kleyn and Ruan Botha forming an exciting 2nd row combination and Springbok Nizaam Carr, DHL WP’s new vice-captain, returning at No 8.
Jano Vermaak
With the arrival of Jano Vermaak at DHL Newlands, Western Province are faced with too much depth at scrumhalf and 1 No 9 possibly has to go.
Western Province have the luxury to choose from Nic Groom, Louis Schreuder, Jano Vermaak and up-and-coming youngster Godlen Masimla as their scrumhalf.
To manage all 4 highly rated No 9’s is a concern for Dobson, indicating that loaning 1 out may be the only option.
“To be honest that’s a fair source of stress,” Dobson said at a Cape Town media briefing.
“That’s a position we have real depth and Gert Smal is exploring that.
The issue with the Currie Cup is that unlike during Super Rugby where players lower down the pecking order have an opportunity to get game time in the Vodacom Cup, the next step down from Currie Cup is club rugby and Dobson said that “some of those guys will think its not for them.”
Jean de Villiers
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers will get more valuable game time on Saturday as his quest to regain full match fitness and book his ticket to the Rugby World Cup continues.
De Villiers will start again for DHL Western Province when they take on the EP Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday after he played 60 minutes in WP’s 19 / 6 loss to the Steval Pumas last Saturday.
WP coach John Dobson confirmed that De Villiers would likely be given an hour once more.
“He’s hinted at playing longer this week but he’s not going to get it,” Dobson joked.
“It’ll be exactly the same – 60 minutes.”
There had been concerns over a calf strain following the Pumas game, but Dobson ensured that De Villiers was fine.
Allister Coetzee
Long-serving DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has chosen not to extend his contract at Western Province Rugby and will, instead, take up an opportunity abroad at the end of this year.
Coetzee, 51, will join Japanese club, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers, having decided to put pen to paper this week.
“I have always said that I would make an announcement once I had made a decision about my future and my decision has now been made and communicated properly,” said Coetzee on the official DHL Stormers website.
John Dobson
Western Province Under-21 coach John Dobson is upset at the punishments dished out to two Blue Bulls players after WP lock JD Schickerling broke his neck in an Under-21 game in Pretoria last weekend.
Schickerling was injured just after catching a ball from a kick-off when Bulls lock Irne Herbst’s shoulder collided with Schickerling’s head in their clash at Loftus Versfeld. Afterwards, the other Bulls lock, Marvin Orie, grabbed the WP player in a headclamp before hurling him to the ground.
Schickerling suffered a fractured cervical spine at the C5/C6 level during the match and narrowly escaped paralysis.
WPRU President, Thelo Wakefield and Director of Rugby, Gert Smal
Western Province Rugby Union president Thelo Wakefield says winning the 2014 Currie Cup is “non-negotiable” for the Capetonians.
Wakefield was left upset after the Stormers finished the Super Rugby season in a lowly 11th position – their worst effort since finishing 10th in 2009.
John Dobson
Western Province Vodacom Cup coach John Dobson is in England to learn skills from rugby league side Wigan and union team Northampton.
Dobson paid for the two-week trip himself but has informed the union’s Director of Rugby, Gert Smal, about it.
Gert, may I wish you all the best in your new position. I am sure you are the man who can restore pride and dignity to WP Rugby but please don’t let “diplomacy” trip you up at the first step and derail everything before it even starts.
A Big Broom Sweeps Cleanest
Please use the opportunity to sweep the stage clean and start afresh much like the Sharks have done to great success. This is not an attack on the coaches as people who are all ‘good guys’ but it is important we recognize their limitations and the dire situation in which WP Rugby finds itself.
A new era is set to dawn on Western Province with John Dobson likely to be named Currie Cup coach, according to reports.
The Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) will hold a press conference on Monday, where Gert Smal is expected to be appointed as Director of Rugby.
It is being widely reported that the Stormers coaching team of Allister Coetzee, Robbie Fleck and Matthew Proudfoot may be under threat of losing their positions following a meeting between Thelo Wakefield and the coaching team over the weekend.
DHL WP will be chasing a win away from home against the Kings, the Men in Blue & White having gone down 23-24 in the dying seconds of last weekend’s encounter against the Sharks XV in Athlone.