An historic first Guinness PRO14 win on foreign soil against the Ospreys has given the Isuzu Southern Kings a confidence boost for the rest of the season, jubilant captain Howard Mnisi said.
After losing their opening five matches, the Kings snapped their losing streak by beating the Welsh side 16-14 in a tight game at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea on Saturday.
The Kings led 13-0 at the break, thanks to a sparkling try from Erich Cronje and a conversion and penalty from fullback Scott van Breda, who won the man-of-the-match award.
Van Breda, on a short-term loan from English side Worcestershire Warriors, put in an impressive performance in difficult conditions.
The Ospreys had a chance to snatch victory at the death, but a long-range penalty from James Hook fell short of the target.
“I was honoured to lead the team for the first time,” Mnisi said.
“Tienie Burger and a few of the other guys with a couple of caps under their belts helped me.
“The boys turned up against the Ospreys and they executed the plan we had for the game pretty well.
“We did well at the beginning when we got an early lead and that gave us a buffer. It was not perfect and a clinical performance, but it is definitely something we can build on.
“It was amazing to get a first win overseas and I was stoked to get a result.”
Mnisi, a centre signed from the Lions at the start of the season to give the Kings extra bite in the midfield, said the young Kings side were gaining in experience.
“The boys put their hands up defensively against the Ospreys even though we leaked a few tries, which can happen when you play overseas.
“In this game we gained some experience. Now the younger guys will know what it feels like to win a game overseas.
“We will keep our feet on the ground and this Kings team is willing to learn. The point is to improve every game and this is a process.
“The team will review what happened against the Ospreys when we are back in Port Elizabeth.
“Then we will decide on how we are going to play our next game against Connacht in Ireland.
“It was great experience to beat the Ospreys, and we will carry confidence into our next game against Connacht. We will fix our mistakes and improve.
“This Kings team has to carry on learning because of the inexperience we currently have in the side.”
Despite their win over the Ospreys, the Kings remained bottom of Conference B.
Kings have wings after downing Ospreys
Image: GETTY IMAGES
An historic first Guinness PRO14 win on foreign soil against the Ospreys has given the Isuzu Southern Kings a confidence boost for the rest of the season, jubilant captain Howard Mnisi said.
After losing their opening five matches, the Kings snapped their losing streak by beating the Welsh side 16-14 in a tight game at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea on Saturday.
The Kings led 13-0 at the break, thanks to a sparkling try from Erich Cronje and a conversion and penalty from fullback Scott van Breda, who won the man-of-the-match award.
Van Breda, on a short-term loan from English side Worcestershire Warriors, put in an impressive performance in difficult conditions.
The Ospreys had a chance to snatch victory at the death, but a long-range penalty from James Hook fell short of the target.
“I was honoured to lead the team for the first time,” Mnisi said.
“Tienie Burger and a few of the other guys with a couple of caps under their belts helped me.
“The boys turned up against the Ospreys and they executed the plan we had for the game pretty well.
“We did well at the beginning when we got an early lead and that gave us a buffer. It was not perfect and a clinical performance, but it is definitely something we can build on.
“It was amazing to get a first win overseas and I was stoked to get a result.”
Mnisi, a centre signed from the Lions at the start of the season to give the Kings extra bite in the midfield, said the young Kings side were gaining in experience.
“The boys put their hands up defensively against the Ospreys even though we leaked a few tries, which can happen when you play overseas.
“In this game we gained some experience. Now the younger guys will know what it feels like to win a game overseas.
“We will keep our feet on the ground and this Kings team is willing to learn. The point is to improve every game and this is a process.
“The team will review what happened against the Ospreys when we are back in Port Elizabeth.
“Then we will decide on how we are going to play our next game against Connacht in Ireland.
“It was great experience to beat the Ospreys, and we will carry confidence into our next game against Connacht. We will fix our mistakes and improve.
“This Kings team has to carry on learning because of the inexperience we currently have in the side.”
Despite their win over the Ospreys, the Kings remained bottom of Conference B.
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