David Manuel believes the Madibaz can “slay some dragons” at the Ussa rugby tournament at Mandela University in Gqeberha this week.
The hosts begin their B section campaign against Varsity Cup side Emeris on Monday (3.30pm).
The team’s head coach views the clash as the perfect chance for his players to prove they can compete with the country’s strongest tertiary teams.
“We are creatures of habit and the more you win the more winning becomes a habit,” Manuel said.
“We haven’t been slaying enough dragons. We need those big wins to leave a reference point in our mind; that we can compete at this level and beat the top teams.”
As they start their campaign against a top-tier team, he believes it is as good a time as any to wield the sword.
In addition, the Madibaz will potentially come up against the likes of CUT, who played Varsity Cup rugby this season, and Walter Sisulu, runners-up in the Shield competition.
These are dragons that need to be slayed, too, as the pathway leads to where they need to be next year, according to Manuel.
The tournament forms part of what he describes as an extended off-season programme following Madibaz’s inconsistent Varsity Shield campaign.
He said there were critical boxes that needed ticking, particularly taking advantage of key moments and winning the big games.
“Those experiences leave positive residue in the mind and help build confidence going forward.”
The Madibaz have set themselves the goal of winning all three of their pool matches to leave them in the best possible position to earn promotion.
“That’s the challenge we’ve set ourselves,” Manuel said.
Balancing preparations with examinations has required careful planning, but the experienced mentor is pleased with the commitment shown by his squad.
“We made sure not to compromise the players’ academic responsibilities,” he said, explaining that they continued with gym sessions and field training before increasing the workload over the past two weeks.
“We’ve thrown everything at this tournament and hopefully we can reap the rewards.”
If you could not manage the pressure, you should not be in this environment, Manuel said.
“Controlling emotions and impulses can be difficult for young players but our culture, standards and training environment are designed to help them regulate those situations.”
According to the coach, the hosts should benefit from being familiar with the conditions at the Madibaz Stadium. — Full Stop Communications
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