From the WP Web

 Western Province coach Allister Coetzee heaped the praise on his captain Luke Watson after the No 8 produced yet another outstanding performance in the Absa Currie Cup campaign against Boland on Saturday. Watson has been in fantastic form this season and made his mark as an astute leader as well. He scored a hat-trick of tries on Saturday and is the leading try-scorer in the Currie Cup competition with 11 – no small feat for a forward.

His team has secured a home semi-final with one league game, on Saturday against the Lions in Johannesburg, left in which they can clinch top spot on the final Currie Cup log. Coetzee said, “Luke´s been incredible this season… not only his personal play and his leadership but also the way he is making this team play as a team.

“What more can a coach asked for then that kind of leadership? I come a long way with Luke. I was the first guy to give Luke a proper run to start his provincial career at Eastern Province. “I offered him his first professional contract ever.

Since Luke started to captain the side when Jean (de Villiers) and Schalla (Schalk Burger) were injured for the last four Super 14 games he did exceptionally well. Now we just want to make sure we send him off properly.” Watson is leaving after the Currie Cup competition to continue his career overseas.

He emphasized though for now his eyes are fixed on only thing: winning the Currie Cup with Western Province. Asked whether he was emotional about playing his last league match at Newlands in the Currie Cup against Boland on Saturday, Watson said not at all.

“I have always been the sort of person who keeps his personal and emotional things off the field and the on-the-field things on the field. “I haven´t even booked my ticket and haven´t even thought about where I am going to be or where I´m going to stay.

Right now this is the task at hand. We have a job to do and I am not going to let anything compromise or jeopardize that, so I am not getting emotional about things.” Commenting on his try-scoring exploits this season, Watson said it was not important to him.

“I don´t really care who scores the tries. I will be honest with you, I can score 10 tries in a game it wouldn´t mean anything to me. “For me its about the victory at the end of the day.

Last week for example I came off the field and I thought to myself it was a better captain´s performance than an individual performance and sometimes the team needs that. “For me personally, I don´t care who scores the tries. I don´t care whose getting the tries, who makes the line breaks – at the end of the day it´s all about the performance of the team.

“I am not even aware of the fact I am the top try scorer but the tight five regularly reminds me that they are the reason I am the top try scorer. For me it is immaterial. Things have gone well so far. The fact that the team is performing well, that is my number one goal and aim.”

The captain said he has always been very passionate about WP – since his junior school days and what was happening at the union now with all the teams performing so well, was awesome.

“For me finishing on a high note would be brilliant and I cannot ask for more.”

Meanwhile, Coetzee said he would not risk Schalk Burger against the Lions if the Springbok flank hasn´t fully recovered from the rib injury he sustained in the Tri-Nations test against the All Blacks.

 A contact session was planned for Tuesday´s training session and Burger´s participation in the Lions match would depend on whether he gets through it unscathed.