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Cape Town - A new-look Western Province team will head to Port Elizabeth to open their 2014 Currie Cup campaign against the Eastern Province Kings on Friday night (kick-off 19:10).
Centre Juan de Jongh, in his first senior match as captain of WP, will skipper a squad with eight Currie Cup debutants, but the 22-man group includes Springbok squad members Frans Malherbe and Eben Etzebeth.
Prop Malherbe has not played since May 3, whilst lock Etzebeth will feature in his first game of the season - both star forwards getting valuable game time ahead of the Springboks’ 2014 Rugby Championships campaign.
Malherbe will start from the bench as he makes his way back into action from a concussion-related lay-off, whilst Etzebeth will start in the No 4 jersey after being sidelined since November 2013 with a long-term foot injury and then, recently, with a minor toe injury.
The starting Currie Cup debutants for WP are wings Kobus van Wyk and Seabelo Senatla, lock Manuel Carizza and loosehead prop Alistair Vermaak - despite all four having featured in the Super Rugby competition earlier this year for the Stormers.
On the bench, meanwhile, hooker Stephan Coetzee, lock Jean Kleyn, flanker Sikhumbuzo Notshe and flyhalf Robert du Preez will be eagerly anticipating their first taste of Currie Cup action, Coetzee, Kleyn and Notshe having played Super Rugby in 2014 and WP Under-21 ace Du Preez playing for WP in the Vodacom Cup earlier this year.
“It’s a new-look team, but an exciting unit,” Western Province coach Allister Coetzee told www.wprugby.com.
“Opening matches are always tough affairs and there’s no doubt that the EP Kings will be well up for this match.
“I’ve watched a few of the EP games of late and you know that a team under Carlos Spencer will play an exciting brand of rugby, so we’re bracing ourselves for a big onslaught come Friday night.”
Speaking about the availability of Malherbe and Etzebeth, Coetzee added: “Being able to call upon players of the calibre of Frans and Eben is a boost for us. It’s a good situation for Western Province, the Springboks, but, most importantly, for the players themselves.
“Both players have been training with us of late, up until the end of last week in fact; they were part of our pre-season build-up and our camp in Langebaan recently, so we have no qualms with picking them in the 22 this week.”
Whilst the likes of Vermaak, Argentina international Carizza, Van Wyk and Senatla all boast VSuper Rugby experience, coach Coetzee had a special word for all the starting Currie Cup debutants.
“The Currie Cup remains a special tournament for all South Africans,” he said.
“We’ve had some good results in the Currie Cup in recent years, most notably with our win in 2012 and going through unbeaten to a home final last year.
“Past records, however, count for nothing and the new players are all aware of that – no matter what they might have achieved up until now.”
Teams:
EP Kings:
15 Scott van Breda, 14 Ronnie Cooke, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Shane Gates, 11 Siviwe Soyizwapi, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Tobie Botes, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Thembelani Bholi, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Steven Cummins, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Lizo Gqoboka/BG Uys
Substitutes: 16 Albe de Swardt, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Darron Nell, 19 Aidon Davis, 20 Kevin Luiters, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa
Western Province:
15. Cheslin Kolbe, 14. Kobus van Wyk, 13. Juan de Jongh (captain), 12. Michael van der Spuy, 11. Seabelo Senatla, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Nizaam Carr, 7. Michael Rhodes, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Manuel Carizza, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Alistair Vermaak
Substitutes: 16. Stephan Coetzee, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. Jean Kleyn, 19. Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Robert du Preez, 22. Pat Howard
Centre Juan de Jongh, in his first senior match as captain of WP, will skipper a squad with eight Currie Cup debutants, but the 22-man group includes Springbok squad members Frans Malherbe and Eben Etzebeth.
Prop Malherbe has not played since May 3, whilst lock Etzebeth will feature in his first game of the season - both star forwards getting valuable game time ahead of the Springboks’ 2014 Rugby Championships campaign.
Malherbe will start from the bench as he makes his way back into action from a concussion-related lay-off, whilst Etzebeth will start in the No 4 jersey after being sidelined since November 2013 with a long-term foot injury and then, recently, with a minor toe injury.
The starting Currie Cup debutants for WP are wings Kobus van Wyk and Seabelo Senatla, lock Manuel Carizza and loosehead prop Alistair Vermaak - despite all four having featured in the Super Rugby competition earlier this year for the Stormers.
On the bench, meanwhile, hooker Stephan Coetzee, lock Jean Kleyn, flanker Sikhumbuzo Notshe and flyhalf Robert du Preez will be eagerly anticipating their first taste of Currie Cup action, Coetzee, Kleyn and Notshe having played Super Rugby in 2014 and WP Under-21 ace Du Preez playing for WP in the Vodacom Cup earlier this year.
“It’s a new-look team, but an exciting unit,” Western Province coach Allister Coetzee told www.wprugby.com.
“Opening matches are always tough affairs and there’s no doubt that the EP Kings will be well up for this match.
“I’ve watched a few of the EP games of late and you know that a team under Carlos Spencer will play an exciting brand of rugby, so we’re bracing ourselves for a big onslaught come Friday night.”
Speaking about the availability of Malherbe and Etzebeth, Coetzee added: “Being able to call upon players of the calibre of Frans and Eben is a boost for us. It’s a good situation for Western Province, the Springboks, but, most importantly, for the players themselves.
“Both players have been training with us of late, up until the end of last week in fact; they were part of our pre-season build-up and our camp in Langebaan recently, so we have no qualms with picking them in the 22 this week.”
Whilst the likes of Vermaak, Argentina international Carizza, Van Wyk and Senatla all boast VSuper Rugby experience, coach Coetzee had a special word for all the starting Currie Cup debutants.
“The Currie Cup remains a special tournament for all South Africans,” he said.
“We’ve had some good results in the Currie Cup in recent years, most notably with our win in 2012 and going through unbeaten to a home final last year.
“Past records, however, count for nothing and the new players are all aware of that – no matter what they might have achieved up until now.”
Teams:
EP Kings:
15 Scott van Breda, 14 Ronnie Cooke, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Shane Gates, 11 Siviwe Soyizwapi, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Tobie Botes, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Thembelani Bholi, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Steven Cummins, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Lizo Gqoboka/BG Uys
Substitutes: 16 Albe de Swardt, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Darron Nell, 19 Aidon Davis, 20 Kevin Luiters, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa
Western Province:
15. Cheslin Kolbe, 14. Kobus van Wyk, 13. Juan de Jongh (captain), 12. Michael van der Spuy, 11. Seabelo Senatla, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Nizaam Carr, 7. Michael Rhodes, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Manuel Carizza, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Alistair Vermaak
Substitutes: 16. Stephan Coetzee, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. Jean Kleyn, 19. Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Robert du Preez, 22. Pat Howard
