When playing HTS Bellville our rugby players seem to completely switch off, thinking it will be an easy game because we are apparantly superior, which as it turned out we were. However, in context with the u15A’s season so far, this match was vital.
I thought I had made a huge mistake on Friday afternoon when I asked the team to score 8 tries, this I thought was reasonable as they had beaten them last year albeit by only 10 points, the response I got from the boys was astounding, I have never seen their eyes grow so large so quickly, their utter bewilderment at this proposal was rather humorous actually. I had some saying it was impossible, some shaking their heads wondering if I had gone mad overnight, and considering the team has struggled to score this year I can understand where their doubts came from. The reason for this ‘outrageous’ request, was in my humble opinion, time for the team to start setting some winning goals and not damage control goals, as they have now successfully got over their inferiority complex that has plagued us this year. As we discussed this completely outrageous request it seemed to me the boys still have not figured out that their biggest enemy is in fact – themselves- whatever they have believed to be true has in fact played it self out.
Right from the start of the season they have seen themselves as underdogs, never once believing that they can actually do the impossible and defeat the teams SACS are apparently not supposed to beat. However this defeatist attitude has slowly eroded as the team has got over the various hurdles that have prevented the team from achieving their dreams.
So although beating Bellville might not be like beating a Paarl school or whatever, it does show that this team got over another hurdle, 1 of being the favorites and nearly reaching my target of 8 tries. The atmosphere on Friday was tense when I told them they were favorites, and that I wanted them to score more tries in one match than they have the entire season. So for them to more than double last years result is a success in this teams journey thus far.
Although they scored 43 points – more points than ever before, last years high was 20 points – they did not play like I know they can, some players were poor on the day, others it seemed were nervous because they suddenly had time and space! A foreign situation that has not occurred in their high schools career thus far! So as far as working on our game plan, it was not a success by any stretch of the imagination, but it may be a good thing as the boys will have known they need to up their game massively if they are to have any chance of beating the Rondebosch team this Saturday. So with scoring 7 tries the boys should take some confidence from the game as many have never scored in a SACS yet, so I am pleased for them.
I must admit as coaches we prevented the team from taking quick taps as it was not helping our cause for Bosch, so in fact the boys would have scored far more tries, but in the end of the day we will not get to play so unstructured again this year, so there was no point in letting them get unstructured.
Thus as a test of our resolve for Bosch it was not ideal, but we will not know if the confidence from the game would have had an effect on this weeks upcoming game until after the final whistle.
I know the boys are seriously amped for the Bosch game as they know they were poor against them last time, and injuries to our captain and flyhalf did not help our cause at all. As well at that this team is no longer recognizable from the one that started the year, they have got better, are more confident and know what they doing and what they want. had it not been for some silly defensive errors, the scores against the big schools would have been far closer and although they were not ready to win them back then, it all proved to be another step closer to the teams goals and another massive learning experience that have contributed towards this teams amazing journey thus far!
So this week will be one helluva fun and awesome experience, I know I am going all out to get this team mentally ready as well as tactically prepared for the Bosch boys, while the boys are excited as hell to prove themselves against the best southern suburbs side this year, the trick is to keep their energy pent up for explosion just before kick off!
I know that this team is ready for this challenge, as they have had far more hurdles to climb than any other team we have faced this year so far, which should make them hungrier. Win or lose on Saturday I know this team will give it everything as they have come too far for them not to, as well as that I know they will have fun and will really show how close they are as a team because they have the best team spirit I have ever seen at SACS, adversity tends to do that to teams, which has already made them winners.
So let’s see how much we can get done this week, and how special we can make it, because this team deserves it.