Western Province coach Allister Coetzee seems to have learned the art of keeping the opposition in the dark from senior coach Rassie Erasmus.

Coetzee named his Western Province team to face the Boland Cavaliers in the Currie Cup as per usual on Wednesday last week, bracketing Willem de Waal and Peter Grant at number 10, and naming Schalk Brits at hooker. Coetzee also announced Justin Melck as the starting eighthman.

But Province started the match with Brits at the back of the scrum, and Melck on the bench, while Deon Fourie started at hooker, and Springbok Peter Grant started the match at pivot.

Province were under severe pressure for a winning result following two consecutive shock losses to Griquas and the Falcons.

Changes paid off

But Coetzee's reshuffle paid handsome dividends, and Province controlled the match from start to finish to run out 50-10 victors over Boland.

Coetzee said that he made those late changes to the side purely because of tactical reasons relating to the weather conditions.

"I always said in Cape Town you got to wait until the Wednesday or Thursday before you get a picture of what you want to do on the weekend," said the Province coach.

"One policy I believe in is to have your best players on the field on the day.

"If it was a wet day the team would definitely be different. Because it was dry we needed more pace on the field because it was ideal weather for running the ball.

"Therefore we had Peter Grant at flyhalf and Schalk Brits at number eight. That was the logical choice in my opinion," Coetzee told the official WP website.

Shades of Erasmus

One could argue that Coetzee has picked up a few tips from WP senior coach, Rassie Erasmus, who is well-known for employing innovative and unusual 'tricks of the trade' to keep opposition teams and coaches in the dark as to his tactics and intentions.

Erasmus was known for changing line-ups and making last-minute adjustments, especially during his time as coach of the Free State Cheetahs.

Erasmus was also famous for his innovative coloured paddle and lights system, in which he used a series of different coloured signs and lights to dictate moves and tactics to his team, from the roof of Vodacom Park.

The win over Boland lifted a lot of pressure from Coetzee's shoulders, and boosted Province back into playoff contention. The team moved back into fourth place on the Currie Cup log.

"I was pleased — I think it was a very pleasing performance. The players responded in a big way after the disappointment of the two previous games.

"We could have won 26-10 with 4 tries and got the bonus point as well, but the way the guys responded was very pleasing. Initially there were a few opportunities that we didn't take, but at the later stages the ball stuck and we scored tries."

The coach praised the forward pack after a much-improved performance where they set a good foundation for the backs to play expansive rugby.

"They scored one try towards the end, but overall we defended well. When you lose 11 Springboks and Stormers it takes time to grow as a team. You don't always grow by losing two consecutive matches, but a lot of teams and coaches have gone through a patch like that and we learnt the lessons and worked on the problems.

"I am really happy that the guys played with attitude and put in a huge effort." More good news

Meanwhile, Province have received some good news when it emerged that prop Schalk Ferreira's neck injury was not as bad as feared.

Ferreira left the field early in the second half of the Currie Cup victory over the Boland Cavaliers at Newlands on a stretcher with what seemed like a neck injury.

Coach Allister Coetzee, however, on Sunday said Ferreira got a bump on the head and suffered concussion. He would therefore not be considered for Saturday’s clash with the Lions in Johannesburg.

Ferreira hurt his neck in a serious car injury earlier this year and there were fears that his rugby career came to a premature end. He recovered though and made his return in the Super 14 series.

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