The Walter Sisulu University All Blacks camp have overcome their Varsity Shield shortcomings and are now concentrating on their Varsity Cup promotion playoff game against Emiris.
A date for the game has yet to be confirmed, but it will be within the next month, with All Blacks head coach Thembani Mkokeli saying they were waiting for confirmation from the organisers.
Mkokeli said they would carry on with their original plan by taking a week’s break before getting back to their preparations for Emeris (formerly Varsity College), which finished in seventh place in the Varsity Cup.
“It will not be an easy game because Emiris won’t want to just give up their Varsity Cup status so easily because they have been there for just a year only,” Mkokeli said.
During their training sessions, set pieces will be the primary focus.
Mkokeli said this was the key downfall aspect in their 44-18 loss in the final against Wits on Friday.
Wits have been automatically promoted to the Varsity Cup.
The All Blacks played in patches against Wits, unlike their overall performance this season.
They couldn’t find their rhythm at all; this is because Wits disrupted their line-outs and on occasions got penalties at scrum time, though the All Blacks dominated them.
The only intervals where the All Blacks were able to string out phases and reap rewards were in the first 10 minutes, the last 10 minutes of the first half when winger Ahlule Zokoza scored a brace and close to the hooter when Lukhangele Tshayi dotted down a consolation try.
“The boys are not disappointed, not by the result but by their performance in the final. Right after the game they spoke about it. That was not how they played the whole season; it was the opposite of what they wanted,” Mkokeli said.
“We couldn’t find momentum at all because our set pieces were disrupted. We couldn’t launch any attacks from them; especially the line-outs. They targeted them. Once we did well in the scrums, we scored tries every time we managed to have phases.
“We have to limit our errors in the promotion game; that caused a disconnect from the team against Wits. The players became frustrated as a result of that because we were leaking penalties,” he said.
Mkokeli applauded Tshayi and Sipho Hobosch for claiming top individual awards in the Shield competition.
Captain Tshayi was named the backline player of the competition, while the vice-captain Hobosch got the accolade of being the best forward of the tournament.
“It speaks volumes of the tournament we had despite not getting the trophy at the end. The team as a whole played well for the two players to get those awards,” he said.
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