Captain Duvenage towards the final on Saturday in Monigo: “We show that Italian rugby can win a trophy”
TREVISO. Saturday afternoon at 6.30 pm the final of the Rainbow Cup will be staged. The Lions await the South Africans of the Bulls in Monigo in the last act of the tournament. Talking about the situation at the green-and-whites 48 hours from the final is Dewaldt Duvenage, captain of the Lions.
DD, missing less and less. Are you finalizing the details for Saturday’s final?
“We are very excited for the week we are experiencing, not only for the rugby final itself, but also for playing Monigo in front of our fans, we are working all week and the team is ready. We are ready for a physical race in which we will have to spend a lot of energy, we are loaded “.
The Bulls are a very solid team, particularly physically. How can you limit them?
“The Bulls are a well balanced team, they are very well trained and their forwards work tightly, they have electric and dangerous backs, but we will not back down. We know they can play excellent rugby, they have been doing it all year, but we are preparing well these days, we want to play our kind of game. We know it will be hot and there will be a lot of humidity, it is a final, with all the feelings involved, to play for a trophy. Playing for the fans, for our fans and for the whole club, showing that Italian rugby can win a trophy, reach the next step, not just reach the final “.
What does it mean to be the captain of a team, Benetton Rugby, which has reached an international milestone of such prestige?
“It is special to be the captain of this group, we have gone through difficult times, good times and less good times. I think we come ready, because now we see the difference in the Rainbow Cup, the dross from the previous months has disappeared and we are now loaded to win. Two years ago we got close to the finals, now we are in the final to get the trophy, we are hungry, now it is about taking the last step and it is very important for us ”.
You are South African and have played with the Stormers. Does this final have an even more important meaning for you?
“It is special for me to play against some of my old teammates, as I said they are an experienced and well balanced team. It is important for us to understand that we arrived with merit in this final, we know that someone probably expected to see Munster or Leinster against Bulls or Stormers, but having reached the final is the demonstration that Benetton Rugby is also part of the great teams today. This will be an opportunity for us to show our faces to new spectators, maybe for some of them we will become a new team to cheer for, I think we played excellent rugby, so we are excited to show it on Saturday in the final ”.
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