The last three games for the u16A team has been a massive journey of learning and heartache. I could not bring myself to talk about the Drostdy game as I was massively disappointed with the team as they just never arrived mentally for the game. I feel they underestimated them and as such did not produce the type of rugby we all expect from them. The wind was a factor but in my view the mental preparation was not the same as it was against Grey. As such we went down in a game that did not showcase this teams talent.
We then came up against Bellville, not much of a challenge but the boys played well enough and scored some great tries. The match was called early, so a good match to watch, but not so good in terms of physical or mental preparation for the Jeppe game.
And so we came to the Jeppe game, probably the most frustrating and disappointing game I have seen this team player ever. Some may say they played well in patches and they tried hard, but knowing them as I do, that performance was not anywhere near the level I know they can be and the level they must be in order to be successful this year.
I do not celebrate mediocrity and the team know this, thus we as a team have to sort the issues out very soon, or this year will become one massive disappointment. I believe in this team more than anything, but watching them in the 2nd half was like watching a funeral procession, there was no spark, no vibe, no passion and no fighting spirit. They became lazy and expected that playing with the bare minimum of effort would have won the game for them. That kind of belief is not good enough in this league. It’s time to be honest with ourselves and decide if this team is going to become the force I know they can be, or we just carry on wallowing in mediocrity.
I know the boys were gutted afterwards, but commiserating after losing a game that we should have won is just not on, the boys need to find that fighting spirit, that strong belief that when we are down and time is running out, that we can and will win. Yesterday we merely rolled over and accepted our fate.
I think it’s time the boys look at themselves as a team and decide to take control. I believe they have become lazy, think that someone else or the coaches will win these close matches for them. This is, and never will be the case with this team. For this team to be successful 15 players must contribute massively to the cause otherwise we will continue to struggle.
Although I am massively disappointed with them yesterday, they did at times play some seriously good rugby and for those moments I can see how far they have come and what they can do if they turn in a 60 min performance. The try they scored from our own 22m was the best try I have ever seen them score. That showed confidence the like this team could not produce the entire of last year. The other example was the defence on our own line that showed what the boys can do when the boys put their minds to it. There were other glimpses of brilliance, but all too often these chances just petered out.
The simple fact of the matter is that this is a good team, and they can play an exciting and physical game of rugby, and they can beat anyone on any day. That is how far they have come. This journey was always going to be tough, moving from underdogs to pretenders and finally to performers. We are at the moment pretenders, we try to be a top team but we are just not there yet. When a 60min performance is strung together both on attack and defence, this team will be exceptional, but until then, we as coaches and players will have to carry on working even harder to ensure it happens sooner rather than later. I believe this performance is a game away, if and I must stress if the players themselves want it badly enough.
This week will be an interesting one, how the boys respond to another close loss, and how they pick themselves up and begin to truly believe that they belong with the best teams in this league. I believe they can do it, now it’s time to prove it.
-Ross Williams