Emirates Lions fullback Andries Coetzee said his missed penalty at the end of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Ulster was a “stuff-up” that he had to take on the chin, but promised that he wouldn’t repeat the mistake.
The touch-finder never found its intended target as the Lions coughed up a game-winning chance right in the final moments of the match, and Coetzee knows just what a massive mistake it was.
“It is one of those things you have to take on the chin. You don't really talk about it, because it is expected that you do that, it is a silly error and it maybe cost us an opportunity to go and score at the end of the game,” he said on Tuesday.
“That reflected on me really badly and I’m my own worst critic. It is one of those things before the game you have to get right. You have to do your basics right and then the x-factor will come later. That was one of the stuff-ups, I have to take it on the chin.
“It is in the past and I have to go forward. It gives you a heavy heart if you drop the guys with a kick like that. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Coetzee does know that it is in the past and there is little he can do to rectify it. With that in mind, he rather needs to concentrate his efforts on facing Glasgow Warriors this week and has promised he and his teammates will “come out all guns blazing”.
“We expect a very technical game this Saturday, we know they are going to come out guns blazing, especially after their loss to the Sharks,” Coetzee added.
“Two weeks ago they put away the Bulls, so they are a quality side. It will be a big one for us as well, playing on home soil. I haven’t won a game at home yet, but we have done our homework and we will also come out guns blazing this weekend.”
Coetzee said he has enjoyed returning to his former province, and especially the young contingent at the Lions, who he feels have made his return a whole lot easier.
“Since I’ve been back, it feels like being a child back home after a matric sabbatical. It is nice to be back and to have an influence on the guys. Hopefully I do, they do have an influence on me, especially the younger guys. There is nobody that thinks they are better than the game and it is a great bunch of guys that get along. That makes it easy for the senior guys and coaches to work with.”
He knows the Lions need to get a win on Saturday, and if they can do that, they will make forgetting his mistake in the last moments of the Ulster game a whole lot easier.