Western Province director of rugby Nick Mallett will keep on investing in local talent and not make any panic buys ahead of next year's Super 14.

Province's 16-11 defeat to Free State at Newlands on Saturday raised uncomfortable questions about the Stormers' Super 14 prospects and exposed a lack of quality depth among the tight forwards.

Mallett admitted that the Super 14 would be "very tough", but added that the only way forward was through perseverance.

"It's a question of whether we are blocking the development of players like Andries Bekker and Ross Skeate by signing another lock," he said.

'You have to give them the opportunity to play'

"We've also got flyhalves like Werner Greeff and Peter Grant who can improve in the position. I just think the guys are never going to be good enough unless they play. You have to give them the opportunity to play and develop.

"(The Super 14) is going to be a very tough tournament, but we would have had four months going into it. We're very realistic about what we're trying to do with this team. We're trying to move towards being a competitive team again."

To WP's credit, they did not point out that Free State flyhalf Willem de Waal scored his try from a forward pass. It also took prompting before coach Kobus van der Merwe expressed surprise that Cheetahs flank Hendro Scholtz did not get a red card for stomping on Joe van Niekerk's head and neck.

Even if De Waal's try was a crucial variable, it was WP's poor play in the set phases that was at the heart of the defeat. They came perilously close to snatching it at the end, but, in keeping with the general theme, lost a lineout close to the Cheetahs line.

These problems are hardly new to WP and there's no doubt that the loss of Bekker and Mendez - the Argentinian won't play rugby again because of his neck injury - had a big impact.

'Chopping and changing coaches doesn't bring about good results'

Province were also unable to start with Rob Linde, who did so well in the lineouts against the Lions the previous weeks.

Gerrie Britz, who was signed from Free State, has turned out a big disappointment and is WP's fourth-choice lock now. When WP signed him last year, they were expecting a dominant lineout leader.

Blue Bulls under-21 lock Marius Coetzer and Griquas tighthead Attie Winter will arrive next season, but certainly won't provide immediate solutions to pressing problems.

Province's coaches are also safe. "You have to look at what makes long-term success," said Mallett. "Frans Ludeke has been at the Lions for three or four years and they are getting more competitive.

Heyneke Meyer is in his fourth or fifth year at the Blue Bulls. Rassie Erasmus was also a player-coach at Free State last year.

"Chopping and changing coaches doesn't bring about good results.

These guys (WP's coaches) have proved themselves, and I know that the players are very disappointed with their execution. It's difficult to blame the coach if the ball doesn't get thrown in straight or isn't caught by the lock.

"I still feel the disappointment because I think it was a game that we lost as opposed to Free State winning it.

"You have to give them credit. They competed well in the lineouts and it turned on a bit of our inexperience in general play. We had a kick charged down and inexperience showed in our lineout calls in vital situations.

"We're just going to have to keep on working on it because a number of players like Ross Skeate, Rob Linde, Hanyani Shimange, Peter Grant, Zhahier Ryland and Earl Rose haven't played that much at this level. Hopefully they will learn from it, but it's a bitter pill to swallow."

It's equally difficult for WP's supporters to take. While it is encouraging that WP are fostering local talent, the question also has to be asked why some high-profile players are not making a greater impact.

A number of under-achievers - Chris Rossouw, Quinton Davids, Gaffie du Toit and Faan Rautenbach - were already history before the semifinals and WP have looked close to home for replacements.

Credit to them for that because they have often been criticised for overlooking talent in the Cape. The trick, of course, is to strike a balance.

Province have shown a greater appreciation for the basics of the game, but fell down precisely in that area on Saturday.

It might have been prudent to bring in one or two tight forwards with genuine physical clout, but they aren't always available and WP can't afford more high-profile non-entities.

"We managed to stop the slide... What we've got to do is understand that this team is hopefully one that will be more competitive in the Super 14 than they were in this year's Super 12," said Mallett.

"I'm hoping that the team won't go into free fall like that. We have time to build and prepare. But it's going to be very, very tough."

• This article was originally published on page 11 of Cape Times on October 17, 2005