Ken Borland

Springbok women's coach Lawrence Sephaka

Former Springbok prop Lawrence Sephaka is the man responsible for gathering South Africa’s women’s rugby forces for a World Cup challenge just five weeks from now, and the coach yesterday pronounced himself happy with preparations as his team trained at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.

“There’s excitement all round, the players are all on a high and things are going good. It’s important to me that we keep on improving, because we have higher places to get to, and this is a great bunch of girls, very funny and sociable. There’s a great camaraderie,” Sephaka told The Pretoria News yesterday.

South Africa have been drawn with big guns Australia and hosts France, as well as Wales, in the World Cup, which starts on August 1, but Sephaka is more concerned with continuing the process of improvement that has been so apparent with the women’s Springboks, rather than individual matches.

“We are a rugby-loving nation and it’s worrying that we are only ranked 10^th in the world. We’re a proud nation so we want to improve on that, but we need to follow the steps to get there, otherwise we could miss some things and stumble. So we’re not going to focus on individual games, but rather on our implementation. That will determine how we grow,” Sephaka said.

The owner of 24 Springbok caps said South Africa’s success at the World Cup would be down to quality set-pieces and physicality.

“We pride ourselves on our set-pieces because that will give us good ball to play from. If we don’t get good ball then we can’t strike through our backs and I believe we have a pretty talented backline. But we need to put them on the front foot. We need to take whatever pressure we’re under and also convert our chances,” Sephaka said.

“But if we cut out physicality from our game then we’ll also have a problem. We must embrace it and all these girls love that challenge, they love collisions, they live for it. I can give them targets and challenges and they just want to go and take out players. It gives them confidence.

“They love contact, but we also need to play smart when we can and there are some special things in our game plan too.”

Springbok captain Mandisa Williams

Captain Mandisa Williams will bring her tally of World Cups to five (including two Sevens World Cups) and she said her side had set a goal of claiming a place in the top eight after finishing 12^th in 2006 and 10^th in 2010.

“We’re focusing on getting to the top eight, which we’ve never made before. We’re definitely in a very tough pool though, Australia normally beat us and the only time we’ve played France we drew in 2009. But we’re playing on their home grounds so that will be very tough. We need to stay composed and stick to our structures,” Williams said.

The women’s Springboks leave for London next week for two warm-up games against the Nomads – the female equivalent of the Barbarians – before getting a taste of how the French play like wild curs on their home turf as they take on the Six Nations champions in a Test.

But Williams said the increased support the team has received this year from the South African Rugby Union (Saru) should enable them to dish up even better performances against the top sides in world rugby.

“In the last year we’ve been shown a lot of support. Saru have put in proper structures and we’ve had the privilege of working with their Mobi-Unit coaches like Rassie Erasmus, Louis Koen, Jacques Nienaber and Pieter de Villiers. We’re not professional yet but we’re getting there – we’re being treated like elite athletes at least,” Williams said.

There is a wealth of experience in this Springbok women’s side, with Lorinda Brown, Phumeza Gadu, Zenay Jordaan, Fundiswa Plaatjie, Ziyanda Tywaleni, Nolusindiso Booi, Nomathamsanqa Faleni, Portia Jonga, Lamla Momoti and Williams all having been mourners at previous World Cups, but there is also exciting talent coming through to reflect the strides women’s rugby is making in South Africa.

The University of Pretoria’s Assupol Tuks have ended the 2013/14 summer far ahead of any other club in the country, winning their third successive National Club Championships title earlier this week, to add to their triumphs as the leading student team in the country and their success in qualifying as the South African representatives for the closest thing to a varsity world cup.

Tuks’ success – they have gone unbeaten through 18 games and three years in the National Club Championships and have won the Northerns Premier League for the last five years, including an unbeaten run of 85 matches – is down to the perfect dovetailing of wonderful talent, an inspiring coach and tremendous facilities at the same time and in the same place.

Graeme van Buuren, Theunis de Bruyn and Vincent Moore are all players who have already shown great potential at franchise level for the Titans, while Aiden Markram and Corbin Bosch are two future stars fresh from winning the U19 World Cup.

And then there are the lesser known but key players like new-ball pair Gerhard Linde and Sean Nowak, spinners GC Pretorius, Ruben Claasen, Tertius Gouws and David Mogatlane, all-rounders Johan Wessels and Tian Koekemoer, and talented batsmen like Sean Dickson, Heinrich Klaasen, Murray Coetzee and Gerry Pike.

Pierre de Bruyn is the coach who brings all this talent together and gets it performing as a phenomenal unit. A hard-nosed cricketer from Easterns and a protégé of Ray Jennings, De Bruyn believes strongly in work ethic and discipline.

“I wasn’t talented at all but I managed to string together 15 years as a professional cricketer through complete hard work. I always tried to be one step ahead of the guy next to me through focus, discipline and work ethic. I really wanted the tough situation and it helps coaching to have had a tough career myself.

“From what I’ve experienced as a player, I can teach the youngsters how to start and sustain a professional career, both of which are not that easy. I’m working with guys who have everything in terms of talent, but I can really teach them things in terms of mental preparation or how to build an innings,” De Bruyn said.

Multiple trophy-winning Tuks coach Pierre de Bruyn

The professional approach at Tuks has led to someone like national U19 captain Markram making the strides Jennings hoped for when he suggested the batsman go to the University of Pretoria.

“I’m very happy here, the training is awesome, at very high intensity, and this is where my game will improve,” Markram said, and that was borne out by him winning the player of the tournament awards for both the Red Bull Campus Cricket Finals, that saw Tuks beat Maties to secure a trip to London for the world finals, and the Momentum National Club Championships.

The considerable support of both the University of Pretoria’s sports office and chief sponsor Assupol ensures that the Tuks cricket team has facilities which are fit for a first-class team and that they have been able to spend R2.5 million on upgrading the nets.

While Tuks’ success is obviously wonderful for the team, their coaching staff and the players’ parents and supporters, it’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture and that is the benefit Titans cricket derives from their prosperity.

“The Titans definitely benefit from the excellence of Tuks. With full-time coaching, top facilities and the support of the university and a major sponsor, they attract top players. It makes it hard for the other clubs in Northerns, but ultimately it all benefits the Titans,” president John Wright said.

The University of Pretoria’s Assupol Tuks, who have won the title for the last two years, made a triumphant start to the Momentum National Club Championships yesterday when they beat Kempton Park by 39 runs.

Tukkies, who were sent in to bat at the Tshwane University of Technology Oval with rain imminent, made an impressive 258 for eight as their innings was cut short by one over.

Gerry Pike (7) and Aiden Markram (18) were dismissed cheaply in the testing early conditions, but Tian Koekemoer laid a solid foundation with his half-century.

As the clouds cleared, Man of the Match Sean Dickson and Graeme van Buuren, who was the star of last year’s title run, made merry as Tukkies seized control of the match.

Dickson was in sublime form as he cruised to 70 off 76 balls, while Van Buuren was once again in great touch as he collected 58 not out off just 43 balls.

Medium-pacer JC Fourie was the best of the Kempton Park attack, bowling 10 tight overs for just 31 runs.

The Kempton Park chase was rocked early on by the loss of three early wickets to each of the impressive trio of Tukkies pace bowlers, Sean Nowak, Gerhard Linde and Corbin Bosch, as they slumped to 38 for three.

But Fourie and Grant Thomson arrested the slide as they added 81 for the fourth wicket off 103 balls. It left the Easterns champions needing 140 off 17 overs, but that became highly unlikely when Thomson was caught, skying spinner Tertius Gouws, on the brink of his half-century.

The Titans bowlers, whether pacemen or spinners, were impressively on target and they restricted Kempton Park to 219 for nine in their 49 overs.

Fourie went on to a classy century, reaching three figures with an outrageous paddle for four off Nowak, and finished unbeaten on 103 off 139 deliveries.

The on-song trio of Nowak, Linde and Bosch took two wickets apiece.

Results

Section One: West End 141 (Etienne Gerber 4-18). University of Jhb 132-2 (Harry van Straaten 50) University of Johannesburg won by 8 wickets (D/L target 132 in 43 overs). NWU Pukke 296-8 (Grant Mokoena 88, Righardt Frenz 56, Wihan Lubbe 58) Crusaders 238 (Riaan Minnie 42). NWU Pukke won by 60 runs. NMMU PE Madibaz 246-8 (Ed Moore 60, David White 101) University of Free State Kovsies 240-9 (Jacobus Dreyer 70, Leus de Plooy 71) NMMU PE Madibaz won by six runs.

Section Two: Tukkies 258-8 (Tian Koekemoer 50, Sean Dickson 70, Graeme van Buuren 58 not out). Kempton Park 219-9 (JC Fourie 103 not out, Grant Thomson 49). Tukkies won by 39 runs. University of Stellenbosch 251 (Emile Kriek 97) United CC 101 (Niel Botha 4-9) University of Stellenbosch won by 145 runs (D/L). Cape Town CC 203 (Matthew Norris 74). NMMU George 171. Cape Town CC won by 35 runs (D/L).

Assupol Tukkies crept ahead of the Steinhoff Maties in the last 10 overs of the match as they beat the University of Stellenbosch by 19 runs in the third and final game to secure a clean sweep of the Red Bull Campus Cricket finals at the University of Pretoria on Wednesday.

Maties, chasing for the first time in the tournament, were set a target of 145 by Tukkies and seemed ahead of the game as they reached 70 for two at the halfway mark of their innings thanks to captain Emile Kriek’s 33 and Keegan Petersen’s 27 off 21 balls.

But this Tukkies team is remarkably focused and determined and their depth is not to be underestimated, and they dominated the final stages of the game to restrict Maties to 125 for six in their 20 overs.

Seamer Tian Koekemoer had only bowled two overs in each of the first two games, taking one wicket, but on Wednesday afternoon he was the key bowler for Tukkies, taking three for 26.

Left-arm quick Vincent Moore once again showed what a talent he is as he bowled his four overs for just 22 runs.

Spin is also an important part of the Tukkies attack and off-spinner Ruben Claasen bowled his four overs for just 20 runs, leggie GC Pretorius bowled Kriek for the crucial breakthrough and finished with one for 23, while David Mogotlane’s single over brought the other vital wicket of Petersen, also bowled.

From that position of strength on 70 for two after 10 overs, Maties crashed to 94 for six after 15 overs, and Leon le Roux (11*) and Niel Botha (15*) were unable to score at more than 10 runs an over against a Tukkies attack that stuck to their disciplines admirably.

Tukkies had earlier won the toss and elected to set a target for the first time in the three-match series, captain Theunis de Bruyn getting to 17 off 12 balls before he was caught behind off paceman James Groom.

Sean Dickson contributed 20 off 16 balls to the tally, Tukkies getting to 50 in the eighth over, but it was wicketkeeper Gerry Pike who provided the bulk of the scoring with his impressive 40 off 41 balls.

Johan Wessels also contributed 18, but it was important for Tukkies that Koekemoer (19 off 11) and Corbin Bosch (13 off 9) were able to get the maximum out of the closing overs and see the Pretoria students to a competitive total.

Groom was particularly impressive with the ball for Maties, taking three for 28 in four overs, while spinners Johan Koegelenberg (2-21) and Niel Botha (2-19) also produced fine bowling performances.

– http://www.redbullcampuscricket.com/southafrica/latest/final-match/