Jean de Villiers
The Steval Pumas were too strong for Western Province at the Drakenstein Correctional Centre, walking away with a 19 / 6 victory on Saturday.
The Pumas led by 19 / 3 at halftime thanks to 3 tries and 2 conversions but the hosts fought back strongly in the 2nd half to keep the visitors scoreless.
Currie Cup coach John Dobson was happy with certain aspects of the team’s performance in a match which saw Springbok captain Jean de Villiers start as he continues his comeback to top level rugby from a serious knee injury.
“Given the amount of time we had to prepare, compared to them, I am not disappointed with the performance. The only thing that’s disappointing is that it is Western Province and it’s this field with the occasion and we would have liked to have won the game.
“We turned possession over too much but I feel our own ball was a bit faster and some individuals stood out, like Huw Jones, EW Viljoen and Kobus van Wyk, and our forwards showed a big work-rate throughout.
“At one stage we had 5 Under 21 players on the field, yet we still managed to keep them scoreless in the 2nd half. It was a great effort and I was happy with some aspects of play,” Dobson said.
Following his 20-minute cameo for the Springboks against the World XV, De Villiers managed to get 60 minutes under his belt in the match and according to Dobson, has not lost his competitive edge.
“Jean was sharper than last week but what I love about him is that he is so competitive, he was basically the ref’s assistant,” Dobson joked.
“Jean was a huge help to the youngsters in the team, what an experience for them to play alongside him.”
Hooker Michael Willemse, the WP XV captain on the day, is the only injury concern for Dobson after he limped off the field in the 5th minute with an ankle injury and is now in doubt for his team’s training camp and the match against the EP Kings.
Western Province will travel to Plettenberg Bay this week for a 4-day training camp, before heading to Port Elizabeth for their compulsory friendly against the EP Kings on Saturday 25 July.
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