Kings face tough Kimberley game but are out for first win
BURLY EP Kings prop Charles Marais is expecting a grinding war of attrition up front as his team bid to register their first win in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday.
"We will have to grind and fight the battle up front and it will not be an easy game. It is always tough going to Kimberley and front of their home fans they are always a different team," Marais said.
"It went well against the Sharks last week. I felt we dominated them at scrum time and we are pretty happy with that. We can do a lot better in our lineouts because we have good drive. We scored two tries from that.
"If we can sort out the lineouts and get our own ball we can be more effective in our attacking options from the front against Griquas," the front row forward said.
On Saturday Marais will be packing down with hooker Martin "Bosbeer" Ferreira and former Bok test star CJ van der Linde as the Kings bid to notch an elusive first win in the top flight.
"We took a lot of positives from the Sharks game. If we can get off to a good start we have a good chance of winning it," Marais said.
"Our plan is to play good rugby and to play to our full potential in Kimberley. I do not think we have played to our full potential yet. The mood in the camp is good we have nothing to lose. It is all for us to go and take.
"We are all working towards that first win. We are all wishing for that and playing for that. There is not one guy who turns out on a Saturday and says let's just play the game.
"For us as a team that win is vital to lift morale. This whole season we have worked towards something and we do good things on the field week in and week out.
"But there are some things that are letting us down. If we can start well and not give away points it will be good for us."
Marais moved from the Cheetahs to Johannesburg to join the Golden Lions at the start of this year before joining the Kings. He was a regular in their squad for the Vodacom Cup competition, playing in all 10 of their matches during the competition, starting eight of those.
He played in the Vodacom Cup final, but ended up on the losing side as the Golden Lions lost 30-6 to Griquas in Kimberley.
Marais also made his Super Rugby debut coming on as a substitute in their match against the Bulls.
An alarming sequence of eight defeats has left the Kings rock bottom in the Currie Cup standings and in serious danger of ending the 10- match season winless.
Griquas have fared slightly better than the Kings and are second from bottom after managing two wins in their opening eight matches.
The games against Griquas and then the Pumas at home next Friday offer the Kings final opportunities to obtain a victory.
Weekend fixtures:
Friday: Pumas v Blue Bulls (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, 3pm), Sharks v Golden Lions (Kings Park, Durban, 7:10pm).
Saturday: Free State Cheetahs v Western Province (Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, 2pm), Griquas v Eastern Province Kings (GWK Park, Kimberley, 2:30pm). - George Byron
