The proof will be in the pudding when the Elephants face the SWD Eagles in a warm-up match in Plettenberg Bay on Friday, EP head coach Dumisani Mhani said.
After weeks of preparation, Mhani finally gets an opportunity to see how his players react to pressure in the heat of battle.
By a quirk of fate, the same teams are destined to meet in the opening match of the Carling Currie Cup First Division in George on April 2 and will be anxious to get an early psychological edge.
EP had been scheduled to play a warm-up against Buffalo City Metro team Buffs last week, but that game was cancelled because of technical challenges.
Mhani says he hopes Friday’s game will be played in proper match conditions and not divided into chukkas.
“We are looking at getting a proper match, but I will be talking to the SWD coach so we will finalise things,” Mhani said.
“They (SWD) are our first opponents in the Currie Cup and we need the game and they too need the game.
“So you cannot say this is or isn’t the best way to do things .
“Everybody knows how everybody plays, and there are means and ways to get that kind of information these days.
“You can never say I am hiding things.
“The fact of the matter is that the players need game time. Finished and klaar.
“In the final weeks before the Currie Cup kicks off it is a question of putting on oil and oiling the machine.
“You can never be sure and the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
“Once you get that first game you know where you are going and I am happy with the conditioning of the team.
“The Buffs friendly did not happen because there were some technical challenges, so we did not want to force things
“We will also work with the clubs now that the Super 14 is coming to an end.
“It makes our life easier as well and we communicate with clubs for a session with them in the final build-up ahead of our first Currie Cup game.”
Mhani said a training game against the Madibaz before the Varsity Cup kicked off had been a valuable exercise.
“I learnt things about the team because when we train we have no opposition,” he said.
“So there was opposition and because of the pressure on them the players made mistakes, which we wanted.
“We look at rectifying those mistakes in training and try to go forward again.”
As the Currie Cup kickoff moves closer, EP have been ramping up preparations. Assistant Springbok coaches Mzwandile Stick and Deon Davids brought their expertise to two Elephants training sessions.
Former Springbok wing Deon Kayser has been appointed as EP’s defence expert to ensure the team have watertight systems.
EP have assembled a formidable coaching team headed by former Border Bulldogs coach Mhani.
His assistant coaches are Zane Bosch and Eric Toring, who are working closely with Mhani to devise a winning strategy.
There will also be input from technical coach David Maidza, who will work alongside Kayser.
EP’s first home game of the season is against Georgia on April 7.
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