- WP coach John Dobson says they were "massacred" on the injury front during their loss to the Lions.
- Dobson has also questioned why they didn't get more reward for their dominant scrum.
- Captain Siya Kolisi adds the manner in which they lost at Ellis Park was "horrible".
Western Province coach John Dobson cut a dejected figure during Saturday night's post-match press conference after his side's 22-19 loss to the Lions at Ellis Park.
Dobson's charges had slipped up again in the dying stages, this time surrendering a 19-9 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
The previous week, they lost their opening Currie Cup encounter against a 14-man Bulls outfit after failing to defend a 20-15 lead late in the game.
Dobson said during an online media briefing that injuries had contributed to their demise.
"We got absolutely massacred injury-wise during the game. We had three or four concussions, we have a bloke or two in hospital.
"At half-time, I think there were two fit forwards of the original starting eight. (Starting hooker) Bongi (Mbonambi) and (replacement) Scarra (Ntubeni) got knocks. I'm not sure what the diagnoses are.
"(Prop) Neethling Fouche is in hospital with a concussion. (Lock) Salmaan Moerat got concussed. (No 8) Trokkie Augustus was concussed and has a neck strain. (Wing) Seabelo Senatla injured his MCL (medial collateral ligament)," Dobson lamented.
The coach added that the players struggling with concussion would have to go through the recovery protocols.
"Neethling is seriously concussed and someone like Salmaan might not be the case. It will go through the normal grading. Seabelo with an MCL will obviously not play next week. The rest we will have to see."
But another area of the game which also irked the WP mentor was at scrum time. The visitors appeared to have the upper hand in this department but were somewhat bizarrely penalised a few times by referee Griffin Colby.
"Our constant messaging with dealing with the match officials, which changed during the week, was about giving us a chance to scrum, which we felt we didn't really get last week. I am obviously going to review it and go through the proper process. But I don't think I have seen resets and penalties which we didn't even see like that. We were really frustrated at scrum time.
"People say that Western Province shouldn't rely on their scrum. But then other teams must build a scrum like we have. We have to consider whether we are actually doing the right thing, because we can't get reward for it. I think we gave away three scrum penalties, which is our season total equalled today. I thought we were the dominant scrum, so it was a bit frustrating for us. I do need to look at it properly," Dobson said.
Meanwhile, WP captain Siya Kolisi described the loss as "horrible".
"You work so hard for 79 minutes - or 60/70 minutes. Then small things, like not following the game plan, lets you down.
"We had a plan and as soon as we stepped off the plan that's when they took advantage. Even though we didn't play as well as we wanted to, we were still in control. You are leading 19-9, which doesn't happen often, and then you throw it away like that.
"It honestly breaks you. We have another game next week where we're going to have to pick ourselves up and keep going, but it's really horrible losing like that, two weeks in a row," Kolisi concluded.
Saturday's loss - their third of the season - leaves WP third on the standings on 21 points, 11 behind the log-leading Bulls, three behind the Sharks and one ahead of the Lions.
Their next encounter is at home against the Pumas this coming Friday.