FNB Madibaz aim for semis as FNB Varsity Cup hopes fade

The fact that the FNB Madibaz went down with all guns blazing as they stumbled to their third loss in the FNB Varsity Shield last Friday just about drew a smile from coach David Manuel. Not that he is happy with his team’s 32-25 defeat to FNB UWC, but because his charges showed the fight he had drilled into them after their blunder against Wits in the previous round.

They took a long, hard look at themselves after the latter and there was some tough talk about attitude in the build-up to the UWC encounter.

Despite the agony of the final result etched on his face, he is as pleased as one can be under the circumstances.

“We spoke a lot about staying in the fight,” Manuel said.

“Against Wits we lost key moments and then dropped our heads, which is not who we want to be. This time, we stayed in it until the end.”

The fact that the match was in the balance until the final whistle, including a prolonged passage of attacking play from the Mandela University side at the death, underlines his sentiments.

“If Cole Hilpert had scored in the last minute and we had converted, we could have won the game,” Manuel pointed out.

“I’m proud of the fight we showed. It looked much more like the Madibaz team that never give up that we have become used to.”

He is now asking his charges to maintain that fighting spirit while working on their ability to manage key moments as it is about “winning those moments and stacking them on top of each other”.

“If we could have scored when the chance came, if we could have dealt with the high ball better, if we could have handled our defensive situations better; those are the moments that change games.

“We just need to be better in those pressure situations.”

Another hurdle for the coaching team was to teach the value of trusting the process to young players who were still finding their feet in Varsity Shield rugby, Manuel explained.

“It is part of the journey of developing young players into consistent performers.”

The latest defeat forces a shift in mindset for the team who have finished second on the log and progressed to the playoffs against Varsity Cup opposition for the past three seasons.

With a top-two placing – and promotion to Varsity Cup – now out of the question, Manuel’s new goal will be to qualify for the semis and get through that.

Manuel believes realism and adaptability are essential.

“We’ve been driven by the goal of getting into the Varsity Cup, but sometimes you have to be honest about where you are as a team. If that’s not on the cards, you reset and identify the next goal.”

It was now about pushing to reach the Shield final and giving themselves “a chance to win it”, he said.

By: Jesica Slabbert