Cape Town – The Stormers and Western Province have “found their niche” in how they want to play rugby, according to Labeeb Levy, and WP intend continuing down that path in Sunday’s Currie Cup clash against the Sharks.
The highly experienced Levy – who is the Stormers skills coach and performance analyst – is taking charge of the Province side this week while head coach John Dobson and assistants Rito Hlungwani and Dawie Snyman are leading the United Rugby Championship group for Friday’s showdown with Leinster in Dublin.
Levy, who came through the ranks at Bo-Kaap club SK Walmers, has also had a long association with touch rugby over the years, and that kind of positive mindset has been evident in both the Stormers and WP performances over the last two seasons.
But what has been most impressive has been the integration between the two outfits as they are working under the same coaching group, compared to the separate squads last season, and the success of that approach was again on display in WP’s thrilling 41-33 triumph over what was effectively a URC Bulls side at Loftus Versfeld.
Now the challenge will be to back it up against the Sharks at Kings Park on Sunday (2pm kickoff), with the Durbanites coming off a 48-40 loss to Griquas last weekend.
“We found our niche in terms of how we want to play – the balance between the running and the kicking game, and the work around it… the work-rate, the work ethic and playing for each other,” Levy said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“Training with standards and talking about standards, and doing standards versus just talking. But it also comes with other challenges because teams are just going to prep harder when they play you.
“They will try to make plans to beat us and we do have to be up for it. Also with the new group this week, we are looking forward to the challenge. We know it’s going to be tough, but we are going to go for it.
“It was a good start to the Currie Cup, especially away. The Lions are always tough at Ellis Park, and the Bulls chose a different dynamic for that game – we challenged them and they challenged us, and we were fortunate to get the result.
“The Sharks also have good players, and played a very good game against Griquas, who also played very well. The Sharks have a very experienced team that played last week, so we are expecting that same team – and they’re at home.”
Levy usually spends hours on end on his laptop to devise strategies to outwit the opposition in the Stormers set-up. But he is well-versed in providing direction to the entire playing group, so this week’s experience of being the WP head coach is an exciting opportunity for him.
“We have been phasing each other in over time, and we’ve got systems in place. It is obviously different (being the head coach), but I have had a couple of stints with the Under-20s and in Super Rugby campaigns. So, it’s a bit better from my perspective, as the past experience is helping in terms of dealing with the associated stress as a head coach, managing the programme,” Levy said.
“We are still in discussion with the URC coaches on that side, and vice versa. I am enjoying the ride at the moment, bouncing ideas off the senior players and to get their buy-in.
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“But we’ve got a system that’s operating, so our programme is the same and the preparation is the same.
“I do the preparation and also things like media, discussions with other coaches and managers, and it’s about managing your time as there are only so many hours in a day… That’s the big difference. But I hope I am coping – I feel like I am for now!”
On the playing front, Levy said that young prodigy Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu “will be on the radar” against the Sharks after missing the Bulls match with a minor niggle, and it will be interesting to see if he slots in at fullback or inside centre.
There is probably a greater need for him to line up at No 15, with Clayton Blommetjies part of the Stormers group in Dublin and Tristan Leyds out injured, with Jean-Luc du Plessis continuing at inside centre.
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