EP coach Allister “Toetie” Coetzee will demand cool heads in the heat of battle when the Elephants face a revved-up Pumas side in round two of the SA Cup at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The Elephants shot themselves in the foot last week when three second-half yellow cards played a major part in their 40-31 defeat against the Falcons.
There will be no room for disciplinary indiscretions against a high-riding Pumas side who will arrive in Gqeberha after annihilating the SWD Eagles 75-7 in Mbombela last week.
Coetzee, who has named an unchanged starting line-up, said his team had prepared well for a tough encounter.
The Pumas scored 11 tries against the Eagles and EP’s defence will be in for a busy afternoon against a side who ran riot in their opener.
For the Pumas, Sango Xamlashe (2), Darren Adonis, Wian van Niekerk (2), Eddie Swart (2), Ntsika Fisanti (2), Llewellyn Classen and Clinton Swart all dotted down five pointers.
“The Pumas are a top side and they will be tough opposition,” Coetzee said.
“I expect a better performance from us after the learnings against the Falcons last week.
“We would have loved to have started with a win over the Falcons to gain momentum, but we let it slip in the second half due to poor discipline.
“The positive from last weekend was the bonus point we earned.
“On Saturday, we are facing a really tough team who were the Currie Cup champions the year before last and they put 75 points past the Eagles last week.
“It will be tough, but we have prepared well and we know what we would like to achieve from the game.
“For us it is about gaining respect for our jersey and therefore we have to be very physical this weekend and make sure we stop the Pumas’ mauls.
“We must get stuck into them and defensively it will require a huge effort.
“We scored four tries last weekend and EP would like to build on our attack.
“This is a formidable Pumas team, but our mission is to make sure we stay highly competitive and back ourselves.”
EP crossed for four tries against the Falcons, with Rodney Damons (2), Troy Delport and Jayden Bantom contributing the five pointers.
“I was happy with the four tries we scored and there were some magnificent tries,” Coetzee said.
“We were good when we had the ball in hand at stages, but then there was the snowball effect the cards had.”
EP had been in the ascendancy against the Falcons and led 22-14 at halftime thanks to a strong recovery after going down 14-0 early on.
Hopes of a win, however, were dashed when Deon Plaatjies, Laken Gray and Zuki Sali were yellow-carded.
Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse has warned his team will not be taking their foot off the pedal after a big win over the Eagles.
“Any team that thinks the SA Cup will be a walkover is wrong,” Stonehouse said.
“It will not be like that and it will be a tough competition.”
The Elephants have set their sights on finishing among the top four clubs in the SA Cup to win promotion to the top-tier Currie Cup Premier Division.
Saturday’s programme at NMB Stadium:
3pm SA Cup: EP Elephants vs Pumas. 5pm East Cape Super 14 final: Progress vs Fort Beaufort United.
Admission prices: Adults R50, children R30, Golden Lounge R150. Tickets available from Webtickets and at the EPRU Offices, Imatu House, Prince Alfred Road.
SA Cup fixtures:
Cheetahs vs Leopards (Bloemfontein), SWD Eagles vs Border Bulldogs (George), Griquas vs Falcons (Kimberley), Griffons vs Boland Cavaliers (Welkom), EP Elephants vs Pumas (Gqeberha).
The Herald
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