Western Province lock Gray Porter during the 2023 Currie Cup match against the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on 26 March 2023. Picture: Gerhard Duraan, BackpagePix
Cape Town — Western Province will play their first home game of the Currie Cup season on Saturday, and will be looking to get back to winning ways after a loss to the Sharks.
They face Griquas on Saturday (7.15pm kickoff) at Cape Town Stadium in a double-header with the Stormers, whose Champions Cup knockout match against Harlequins starts at 4pm.
Province lock Gary Porter jokingly said it is nice to have such a big game as the curtain-raiser for them.
After their defeat to the Sharks last Sunday in Durban, the first of their campaign, WP’s aim is a victory over Griquas, but that is easier said than done. Griquas have beaten WP in their last four Currie Cup clashes, and it’s a hold the home team will look to break.
For that to happen, they first have to fix the errors that were made against the Sharks after they lost 20-7, scoring only one try at Kings Park.
“We want to correct the wrongs from last week and put together a performance that’s true to ourselves and our DNA,” Porter said.
“I think we just didn’t stick to our DNA (against the Sharks). We did not play our true Province rugby, and that came to bite us a bit. We didn’t do what the plan was, and the result of that was the score did not go our way.”
According to Porter, they expect the clash to start at a quick pace and be very physical.
Griquas are known for their powerful forwards, but they can also string a couple of moves together to break the defensive line with their quick backs.
Porter added that there has been good synergy between the WP and Stormers squads, with the coaches putting in an equal amount of time preparing the teams for their respective competitions.
“They are balancing both squads … there’s a clear plan for all the players, and they know the plan. There’s definitely no divide between us, which is really important if we’re running two competitions,” Porter said.
“Players will have to bounce between the two, and it’s running smoothly. The players are enjoying themselves in both competitions.
“Against the Sharks, we did not push to take opportunities that we would usually take – it was obviously disappointing. We have reviewed it and seen where we went wrong.
“Hopefully this weekend, we will be back to our old selves.”
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