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Stormers coach John Dobson says he won't use all of his URC players in Western Province's Currie Cup team now that their international season is over.
Stormers coach John Dobson says he won't use all of his URC players in Western Province's Currie Cup team now that their international season is over.
With two round-robin games remaining against Griquas (away) and the Sharks (home), WP currently lies in fourth place on the Currie Cup standings.
However, WP, the Lions in fifth place, and the Bulls in sixth place are tied with 31 log points, making points difference the differentiating factor.
To secure a spot in the semi-finals, the Cape side will likely need to triumph in both of their remaining Currie Cup matches.
But Dobson believes it would be unjust to simply integrate all the URC players into the Currie Cup team.
"There's a human element to it as well. We lost 34-12 to the Lions, but hell, did we put in a good performance. You get 34-12 and then you get 34-12, if that makes any sense. I was proud of them," Dobson told reporters after the Stormers' loss to Munster in the URC final.
"So I think we will give guys like Marcel (Theunissen) and Willie (Engelbrecht), who haven't had much time, a run. (Leolin) Zas was injured for a long time. I am not just going to flick and bump all the Stormers down there now, no.
"Some of the guys, like Conor Evans and Adre Smith, were awesome against the Lions. It's not fair on them to go, 'Okay, URC season is over, here comes Ruben van Heerden'. It will be a bit of a mix."
Despite being up against it, Dobson said they would give it their best shot in the Currie Cup. He noted it was tough for them as they had three more weeks of URC action than the other top SA franchises.
"We will give the Currie Cup a scrap now and have a go," added Dobson. "We probably have to win both of our games against Griquas and Sharks. We will definitely give it a go. That was always our plan: to scrape into the Currie Cup semi-finals. I knew it would be tough. The truth is that we have been playing in the URC for longer than the other franchises and they have URC-ed up.
"The Currie Cup has massive emotion and pride, so we will give it a go, but it won't be at the expense of those guys who have been fighting. It will be a mixture. We will drip some in this week and maybe more in the week after."
Nonetheless, Dobson assured fans that WP will be giving it their all in the remaining rounds of the Currie Cup, despite some of the additional challenges they face compared to other teams.
"We will give the Currie Cup a scrap now and have a go," added Dobson. "We probably have to win both of our games against Griquas and Sharks. We will definitely give it a go. That was always our plan: to scrape into the Currie Cup semi-finals. I knew it would be tough. The truth is that we have been playing in the URC for longer than the other franchises and they have URC-ed up.
"The Currie Cup has massive emotion and pride, so we will give it a go, but it won't be at the expense of those guys who have been fighting. It will be a mixture. We will drip some in this week and maybe more in the week after."
