Heath Ledger would be smiling from Hollywood Heaven today if he was ever a fan of Western Province rugby.
Coach John Dobson and his team proved to be the new Dark Knights in Saturday’s Currie Cup semifinal against the Blue Bulls at Newlands.
And Dobson couldn’t have scripted this version of “Batmen” better.
In his team announcement press conference on Thursday before the game, Dobson said his team was never taken to “that dark place” where they had their backs to the wall and had to fight back.
The scenario he created was two quick tries by the opposition and his team having to claw their way back into the encounter.
Dobson believed back then that the brotherhood Province have built off the field would carry them through if this scenario were to play out.
MAGIC MAN: WP boss John Dobson. Photo: RYAN WILKISKY/BACKPAGEPIX
And in typical Joker fashion, his WP team responded by teasing the Bulls to the point that their wives started packing for a trip to Durban for what would have been the venue of the Currie Cup final if the men from Pretoria had won.
Province wanted to go to a dark place, but they probably didn’t imagine that place would see them being pushed beyond 80 minutes and into extra time to beat a team they had demolished in their own backyard the week before.
Kudos have to go to the Bulls, who would have won if flyhalf Manie Libbok had successfully converted the final kick of the 80 minutes.
But it was 32-all when the two teams headed into extra time, before a SP Marais penalty in extra time handed WP the 35-32 win.
Having been down 24-15 with a little over 30 minutes to play, it was Province who had to play catch-up as the bookings for the final neared completion.
Province had to dig deep - having defended their tryline for more than 20 phases at one stage.
And while they were perhaps lucky to scrape through to the final in the end, Dobson has no reason to be unhappy with his charges.
I have no doubt that the players will have big smiles on their faces today, albeit with a lot of pain.
Province were taken to that dark place and they survived to return to Newlands on Saturday where they will host the Sharks in the tournament decider.
What this proved is that despite the off-field financial issues, this WP team still plays for each other and the Newlands faithful.
I believe it could have been different if it wasn’t for a coach like Dobson.
Here we have a man that calls a spade a spade and allows his players to express themselves and play with the freedom that made them professional rugby players to begin with.
I went to a Newlands training session the other day and was pleasantly surprised to see a big boombox on the field klopping nommers.
The songs were so diverse and motivating at the same time, that I believed it to be the players’ playlist.
Then last week, Wilco Louw flashed his Vark Hart - the award that he won after demolishing the Bulls front-row in the clash at Loftus - and again I believed this to be the work of Dobson.
He is busy creating an environment that gets the best out of his players.
So when it was time for the coach to answer questions about his future, he made no secret of the fact that he wanted to stay at the union and that he wants to be part of something special at Newlands.
Dobson has the ability to create something special.
I think he did it back when he started out with Chris Cloete - a club player he brought from nowhere to play for WP.
PROTEGE: Dobson unearthed Chris Cloete.Photo: DERYCK FOSTER/BACKPAGEPIX
Cloete has just re-signed at Munster in Ireland, despite coming off a long-term injury.
Cloete was, in my books at least, Dobson’s first real success story.
Not afraid to do things his way, the WP coach is getting the best out of relatively unknown players since taking over as Currie Cup coach.
But he is destined for bigger things and I can see how assistant Dawie Snyman can step up as a possible successor to him as the WP’s next Currie Cup coach.
POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR: Coach Dawie Snyman. Photo: CHRIS RICCO/BACKPAGEPIX
Dobson has served his time at this level of competition and deserves a higher calling.
Now it’s up to the WP bosses to decide what that future is going to look like.