The WP post match conference word by word……..

Comment to Luke Watson was made that it was not the best farewell he was looking for.

I could not agree with you at all.  The boys showed so much guts, so much character.  Sitting in the change room I looked at a team of under dogs 10 – 1.  I don’t thing a single person thought that we would be in with a shout with the 22 men and the management in that team room.  For myself personally it is an emotional time, but I couldn’t ask for more.  We went down to the wire with a team that won the Super 14 by 50 points in the final.  A team that won the British and Irish Lions tour.  A team that won the Tri-Nations.  I couldn’t ask for more.  Obviously in an ideal world I would like to be in a final.  To play at home in front of 50,000 people.  To play for the last time and put up a performance like that, it was awesome.  All credit to the coach and staff.  To the management and players.  It was a great last game.

Allistair Coetzee was asked his comments on the game.

It wasn’t the fairy tale ending that we wanted.  I am so proud of the players.  So proud of Western Province that we actually on the up.  There is so many things happening in this Province definitely.  Like Luke said to come close and push a star-studded side like the Bulls.  Having to live on mistakes that we make.  Conceiving a bit of penalties.  It shows a lot where we are heading to.  The camaraderie of Luke for one, I want to praise him and congratulate him on the way he has lead the side.  The way he has helped bonding a team of youngsters and leading them.  I said earlier it’s not just his leadership capabilities but also tactically on the field, the way he has lead the side.  I would like to wish him well.  Our loss is Bath’s gain over there.  But once again in this game of rugby, because it is a team sport, there is really no place for individuals and individual effort.  Like again today, team effort and the way our Province will look ahead into the future.

Luke Watson was asked about the first 20 minutes and the tentative start to the game.

I think we were just getting a feel for it.  We’re a side that like to adept to the game, likes to adapt to the referee.  We do tend to push the boundaries at ruck time.  We’ve got a quite a bit of youngsters in our side and a bit of over-eagerness, but the composure the team showed to come back and ultimately played some brilliant rugby in the latter ¾ of the game was unbelievable.  I’m not going to sit here and fault the team whatsoever.  It was an excellent performance .  We could have improved a bit at times.  At the same time the guys made some turnovers.  We had some pretty good scrums.  Some pretty good line-outs.  It was just a great performance.

Allistair Coetzee was asked about individual performances of players in the WP game.

I don’t think we would like to focus on any individual.  I think the most important thing is that we know and I have selected players with heart today.  Some people question the selection of Paul Bosch this week and I am very pleased with the way he went.  Also a youngster like Juan de Jongh.  A player like Frikkie Welsch that has come under flack.  Throughout the season they have shown.  We push the team thing.  It’s not about individuals.  Sereli scored a lot of tries for the Province.  He scored the most tries in the number of games he’s played and this is a young side.  They haven’t really been in this kind of position before.  Maybe that’s why all the eagerness took grab of us at the beginning of this match and to concede so many penalties while they were 14 men.  I think they got 6 points ahead of us.  I won’t be discouraged to be really passionate and over eager for WP.  We take this on the chin and we learn from it.

Luke Watson on the team performance and the come back from the first halve trailing the Bulls.

I though we came back really nice and the boys played incredibly well.  We don’t give credit to any individual in the team, but at the same time we don’t slay anyone in the team, we don’t blame anyone on the team.  It is a team efforts.  And from 1 to 22 we know that no person would on purposely sabotage the game and make a mistake on purpose.  Even the last couple of dying seconds there was a high tackle, which I though was a bit of a dubious call as well.  Having said that, we’re a team and that was our greatest strength this year.

Allistair Coetzee was asked about what influence the fact that WP might have a home final had on the approach and preparation.

Nothing at all.  We focused on this match against the Bulls only.  We always knew it was going to be a sort of test match approach and kind of game.  I am just so proud we must remember what you guys said at the beginning of the year and past years that Province pack has got no physicality.  I think the boys will agree with me that they were at collision point.  They were knocked up and they didn’t get the momentum they normally play with.  The Cheetahs match we didn’t watch at all.  Unfortunately we had so many chances we created in this game.  I can recall two incidences where we could have walked over the try line.  Those were positive signs for me where we went in and played against one of the world’s best side and we scored the only try of the match and we could have scored a couple more.  That gives me great satisfaction. 

Luke Watson on whether he would return to WP in the future somewhere. 

I can’t look too far into the future.  It has been a fantastic ride for me.  I’ve got a good relationship with most of you.  I kept most of you very busy on some weekends writing about me and between some of the scathing remarks some of you have made, some of the nice remarks, it’s all part of a relationship.  One thing I would like to encourage you guys to do is to continue to support WP and to buy into the culture as supporters .  Buy into the culture of supporting.  I think that is up north, the Blue Bulls and some of the teams they can sometimes do no wrong and I think people can be a little bit critical on a young WP side that is going out there, putting their heart on their sleeve and putting their hand up and say, “Hey I am Wicus Blaauw, I am 23 years old and I’m Brock Harris, 24 years old, I have scrum against an international pact, Andries Bekker, I’m 25 years old, I’ve played against Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield.”  That’s guys wearing their hearts on their sleeves.  Dewald Duvenage, 20 years old, played against Fourie du Preez, the best scrum half in the world.  I think may be going forward you guys can really jump on board and really support this team.I don’t know, if I had to come back there is only one place I would come back to, I know that.  They can offer me all the money in the world to go anywhere else in the country, but there is only one place I would come back to.  I do believe that WP is entering a period and an era that I wish I entered into five / six years ago when I first got here.  Having said that, it is exciting.  We have a very young side.  We had two legitimate Springboks on the bench and Andries Bekker, in other words, one Springbok starting.  The rest of us is a bunch of no names.  I don’t count myself as a Springbok, no.  I am talking about regular Springboks here.  We had two on the bench and one on the field, a bunch of no names, a bunch of scallywags as you call it, putting on a WP jersey and just trying our best.  From my side support the buys and get behind them.  I can promise you, they wear there hearts on their sleeves and these youngsters are still going to make you proud down here in the Western Cape.

Luke Watson was asked about what the future holds for him in Bath and about his immediate plans.

I am hoping to start something there.  Maybe my wife and I should start making babies sometime soon to continue the Watson legacy.(Laughing)  I am entering a whole new season there, so let’s see what God has in store for me in life.  Knowing me it’s going to be exciting whatever it is.

Luke Watson asked when he will be heading for Bath.

I am supposed to be there from the first week in November, so I’ll probably be playing next Saturday. (laughing)  In the first week of November I’ll be heading over there.

Rugby Talk asked Allistair Coetzee who will be the captain next year and suggested whether it could be may Tiaan Liebenberg or Anton van Zyl.

I think we’ve got a number of leaders in the side.  It is quite important also, to give young players responsibility this year and I’m really happy that they all chipped in well and could support Luke.  Guys like Tiaan, Schalk Burger and Peter Grant, Joe Petersen from the back.  Even a youngster like Dewald and Ricky both were all part of our planning.  I am comfortable with whoever is going to run out in front next year in the Super 14, it is just a matter of running in front, but when it comes to making decisions, we’ve got leaders out there.

Luke Watson was asked about his emotions when he ran onto the field and how he felt to leave WP.

The most emotional part came when Morné lined up the kick and I knew we were in trouble here. (laughing)  I tend to be too analytical.  I saw running on the field, a picture, playing the game in my head and I probably won’t sleep until 3 in the morning, still playing the games in my head.  Even though there is no tomorrow for us.  It will haunt me for the next couple of weeks.  For the next couple of day, we have a little bit of get together tonight and Tuesday we are going to come around here and have a final wrap up and I think there are still going to be times when I will get a bit emotional.  I might cry a little bit when I leave.  Not yet, but who knows.

Luke Watson was asked about the Schalk Burger tackle on Fourie du Preez and what it did to the spirit of the players.

That was awesome.  Fourie didn’t know what happened there.  He blind sided him there.  It was fantastic and at that time we were just building up momentum and I mean, we finished really strong.  At that particular stage it was just a continuance of the momentum we were building up and it just took us to another level.

Allistair Coetzee was asked about the mental impact of the loss and whether it would affect the younger guys negatively.

Not at all.  At times of adversity young men grow.  It has been a great learning experience for us.  I would be really disappointed if the Bulls should go on and loose the final.  It think, like we all said, this is a team that is busy with a process.  Just got to stick and back what we’ve put together in this side and take that forward into the Super 14.  I’ve got no doubt in my mind that we will become used to winning champion matches like these.

Allistair Coetzee was asked who he thinks will win in the final.

It is the final.  Anyone can win the final.  I think in the previous encounter at Loftus the Cheetahs came close and the Bulls won by three points.  On the other hand I must say that a team like the Bulls, they have been in finals before and you know the whole game plan , their whole psychy is about getting the 3 points, forcing you to making mistakes and it’s going to be tough. I would like to congratulate and complement the Newlands faithfuls and spectators – they were incredible and awesome throughout the season.  It is always great for a young side to playing with the support we got and we saw that throughout this Curry Cup campaign. 

Allistair was asked about speculations that he would coach elsewhere.

I’ve said it before.  I’m contracted till the end of 2010.

Luke Watson made final remark

I would like to thank WP for 5 or 6 absolutely brilliant fantastic years.  I would like to thank Mr Wagner for a fantastic relationship.  Thank you to you guys.  I’ve built some fantastic relationships.  WP is going to go from strength to strength and if we can create a culture down here at Newlands and the Western Cape and you guys are probably the biggest part of the culture.  Believe it or not, rugby players read more of the reports than they would actually like to admit.  From my side, thank you to everyone, thank you to Newlands it has been fantastic and I hope it’s not the last you will see of me.  Thank you.