What a way to disappoint dad

Predictably, the Currie Cup final yielded mixed emotions for the Du Preez family.

Dad Robert, the Sharks coach, and sons Robert jnr, the Western Province flyhalf, as well as Sharks backrow twins Jean-Luc and Dan, were the focus of much prematch attention but in the end there was only one winner.

"As the game went on Rob got stronger and stronger," said Western Province coach John Dobson after his side's 33-21 victory over the Sharks.

"He came to me at halftime and said: 'Don't worry, we've got this'," Dobson said.

The coach came in for some stick for playing Du Preez ahead of the free-spirited Damian Willemse, who has been doing duty at fullback.

The coach felt a little vindicated.

"I don't want to sit here and crow, but the plan worked really well," said Dobson.

He was then reminded of how big a loss Du Preez would be when he reunites with his siblings at the Sharks next season.

"Joining the Sharks, is he? I'm sorry to hear that," Dobson quipped.

Du Preez snr half grudgingly acknowledged his son's strong hand in the outcome.

"I thought he played really well, especially in the second half. He controlled the game like a general.

"That was the difference between the two sides. They controlled the game a lot better. Their game management was a lot better than ours.

"We are very pleased that he's coming to the Sharks. That will help us at flyhalf. He'll be a big asset."

That observation came after a match in which Sharks flyhalf Curwin Bosch's defensive frailties were ruthlessly exposed by Western Province.

"We've worked really hard on Curwin and his one-on-one defence," said Du Preez snr.

"It's an area of his game that he is going to have to work hard on, especially playing international rugby."

It was a Currie Cup final Jean-Luc and Dan will not reflect on with much fondness.

The former left the field with a serious ankle injury in the 22nd minute. Dan was yellow-carded in the 70th minute, which effectively dropped the curtain on his final.

"It was a big loss for Jan-Luc," said Du Preez.

"It was an ankle injury. I'm not too sure how bad it is. We'll do X-rays and have a clearer picture."