Cape Town - The return of Rynhardt Elstadt for Western Province’s Currie Cup semi-final clash against the Blue Bulls on Friday night could be just the tonic for coach John Dobson to get the best out of Nizaam Carr.
Carr hasn’t quite been the same player who forced himself into Springbok contention in 2014 following that terrible viral infection he suffered before the start of Super Rugby this year. He has also had to play a different sort of game than what he is used to because of Elstadt’s absence for much of the second half of the Currie Cup campaign.
The bearded No 8, at his very best, is a dynamic runner and great ball player, but he has had to play a lot more tighter, which has curbed his natural game.
But the return of the physical Elstadt will allow Carr, and the equally impressive and skilful Sikhumbuzo Notshe, to attack those wider channels with their smart running lines and their ability to link up with the outside backs.
Of course, in a semi-final, different demands are put on loose forwards, because the physicality does go a up a few notches, which might see Carr and Notshe also having to do their fair share of grafting. But having Elstadt back does mean they won’t have to put their heads into every ruck.
“The return of Rynhardt makes a massive difference to Nizaam Carr,” WP coach John Dobson said yesterday.
“He has been wearing all of Rynhardt’s lineout duties, and has had to play a bit tighter. He hasn’t been able to make those wider carries that Notshe is doing.
“With Rynhardt back, it will free Nemo up. We saw it this weekend already when Jurie went to six, because suddenly Nemo made six or seven passes.”
But Elstadt will also set the tone for Province at the breakdown. WP’s breakdown has been either very good or extremely bad this season, and probably the main reason for the inconsistent displays.
The two matches against the Bulls this year are great examples, because in the first one in Pretoria, WP were poor and were pumped on the scoreboard by the Pretoria side. But in the second match WP came away with the win after a clinical performance at the collisions.
The Bulls feasted on WP turnovers in the meeting up at Loftus, and the likes of Warrick Gelant ran the Cape side off their feet from those turnovers. So looking after the ball is key for WP to also survive the altitude factor.
“Rynhardt is important to us because of what he has done in the past and the level he has operated at physically at Super Rugby. We are factually younger than the Bulls team, and to have Rynhardt there just means a lot to the players,” Dobson said.
“The breakdown has been a massive frustration. We have had days where we have been at Super Rugby level and days where we have been at Vodacom Cup level.
“None more so than the game against the Bulls. But with Rynhardt back, and our guys are desperate to win this one, expect us to be good there.”
Dobson revealed that they might have to be a bit more direct to secure their ball, and give them some momentum to get their dangerous outside backs, which should include Seabelo Senatla and Cheslin Kolbe on Saturday, into the game.
Another area where WP struggled against the Bulls was with their restarts, and it already looks like a lot of focus is going into that part of their game ahead of semi-final.
WP found themselves on the back foot at Loftus, because the Bulls targeted certain players in the WP team to receive their kickoffs.
“Restarts cost us ... I think it was 18 or 19 points at Loftus and 21 points at Ellis Park,” Dobson said.
“We have tweaked our plans a bit this week in terms of who is receiving and how we are returning it. We have changed how we approach it. Traditionally people didn’t worry about, but we now it’s changed.”
Cape Times