Falcons clash will be like a final, says EP skipper

EP’S must-win Currie Cup clash against the Falcons in Brakpan on Friday will be like a cup final to decide who qualifies for the semifinals, Elephants skipper Sherwin Slater says.

After a slow start to their campaign, EP put themselves back into contention for a playoff berth when they beat the SWD Eagles in Despatch on Friday.

“This next game against the Falcons is absolutely crucial for us,” Slater said. “The Falcons need a win and EP also need a win to reach the play-offs.

“So this is a must-win game for us and we will make sure we prepare properly. We will hear what the coaches want from us and what the players can bring to the table.

“So we will take things from there before we travel to Brakpan. Playing at altitude is never easy, and we must be wellprepared. But we will not allow things like altitude to sway us from the task at hand.

“EP will be up for the challenge in this vital game.

“Once we have all bought into a game plan decided on to tackle the Falcons, we will take it from there.

“The win over the Eagles was a big thing for team morale. We had to fight for that win and the Eagles did not make things easy for us in Despatch. EP had some big opportunities against the Eagles we did not finish.

“But EP will learn from things like that. If we can improve on our little errors against the Eagles, we will do well on Friday.

“The brotherhood in this EP team is excellent and we must love one another.

“As more time passes being together, so the brotherhood grows and the guys get to know one another inside and out.

“Our set pieces were very good against the Eagles and we must continue to play like that. Also our strike moves were good and most importantly our one-on-ones were excellent.

“Our tackling was also at a good level and a lot of things in the game were of a standard that we wanted. There were a few mistakes, but there will always be some errors.

“Now the team want to improve for the Falcons game. It was important for us to score four tries against SWD and get the bonus point.

“We went into the game wanting to make sure we got a win to earn the four points for achieving that.

“Then we saw we had the opportunity to get the bonus point for scoring four tries and we went all out for that.

“I am so proud of my team and I will fight day and night for them because of the way they stand up for me. The guys make my job as skipper easy because all assume a captaincy role in their own positions.”

Slater said his team enjoyed playing at the WJ de Wet Stadium in Despatch after his team picked up their second win of the season at the venue.

“I have heard people saying that EP must never play at another field and we must make Despatch our permanent home ground,” he said.

“I seems to me that the air in Despatch is very good for this EP side.

“We got our first win of the season there against the Boland Cavaliers and now the ground seems like home for us.

“The guys are comfortable there and it’s great to see people in their EP colours standing outside the ground cheering us on. That is a great honour for this team and we want to thank everyone for their support.”