Back to reality for Maties, Roux
FNB Maties head coach Chean Roux was understandably elated with his team's successful defence of their Varsity Cup title, but he did not have much time to celebrate Stellenbosch's victory.
The defending champions beat the Pukke 11-6 in Monday's 2009 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International Final, but it was straight back to reality for the affable Maties head coach this week.
You see, Roux was back at his regular day job on Tuesday afternoon already, whilst the Maties have their first Western Province Super League match of the season on Thursday - ironically against fellow Stellenbosch side, Victorians.
"Ja, it's straight back to reality for me," chuckled Roux in conversation with varsitycup.co.za. "We were able to celebrate our win on Monday night, but I had to go back to my shop (Roux manages Super Spar outlets in the Boland region) for stock-taking on Tuesday afternoon.
"Of course, it's great to bask in an achievement like winning the Varsity Cup, but I'd much rather just get back straight down to earth and move forward - starting with work and then the league!"
But, his swift return to reality aside, Roux does deserve credit for guiding the Men in Maroon to their second successive Varsity Cup triumph.
They once again beat all comers in this fantastic tournament - even if they were made to sweat by a fired-up Pukke side in Monday's hard-fought final at the Danie Craven Stadium.
"You know, it's a funny thing, a number of people have come up to me saying, 'Well done on the win - although it wasn't a great game'," revealed Roux.
"But, you know, I'd rather win a so-called 'bad final', than play attractive rugby and lose in the final. Keeping everyone happy and playing attractive rugby is a bonus as far as I'm concerned; I believe in winning rugby first and foremost."
Looking back at the final, which produced just one try - not to mention a few nervous moments for the hosts, Roux added: "It was a funny game. We were off our game in the first half... the guys just seemed to lose their composure.
"As I've said before on this website, this is quite a new team - I hadn't coached a lot of these guys before - but at half-time I told them to relax, to play the percentages and concentrate on the basics, especially their set-phases...
"I thought they got it together nicely in the second half and I think we actually got stronger as the match progressed. We scrummed better and our line-outs starting working, so by full-time I was a lot happier."
Whilst the final might not have had the excitement and the drama from the inaugural finale last year - between the Maties and the Ikeys - some 17,500 fans still crammed into the Danie Craven as the 2009 Varsity Cup enjoyed a fitting climax.
"I guess it's easy for us, as the champions, to praise the Varsity Cup but I can really say from the bottom of my heart that this is a great tournament; it's impossible to fault anything," said Roux.
"Everything was just so well organised, from the flights, to the matchday busses, to the food, to our accommodation - it made for a very professional tournament yet again.
"The nice thing is that the Varsity Cup will continue to grow," added the Maties mentor, "and as it continues to grow, I'm sure more sponsors will want to get involved, which can only benefit everyone involved."