Bateman lauds improved Impi
FNB UKZN coach Bryan Bateman believes his side's improved defensive structure and ability to create opportunities were the main reasons behind their ground-breaking Varsity Shield win over FNB CUT on Monday.
The 39-38 win in Bloemfontein over the previously unbeaten log leaders would have given the UKZN Impi huge confidence as they move into the second round of fixtures in this exciting - and all-new - competition.
A clearly delighted Bateman said: "We were obviously very happy, it's not easy to go and win there and it was a helluva exciting game as well."
Bateman explained that his team had been working hard on the defensive side of their game: "At the beginning of the competition our defence was really poor; we slipped lots of tackles, so we've been working really hard on our defensive structures.
"Even though CUT scored four tries against us I still don't think our defence was poor," he added.
Another encouraging aspect for Bateman has been their ability to create more try-scoring opportunities, with his charges getting over the whitewash three times against CUT.
"We've been able to score some tries, we were really struggling and didn't manage to score a try in our first two games and we have created more opportunities to score tries," he told varsitycup.co.za.
Bateman has challenged his side to continually strive for improvement to ensure that they remain competitive as the business-end of the Varsity Cup approaches.
He said: "I think it's important that we continue to improve on our previous performance - it's not about focusing on the other teams and how they play. If we play well we will always be in with a chance - no matter who we're up against."
By Michael de Vries
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