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Changes expected for Kimberley trip

PUBLISHED: August 13, 2012


There will be changes made to the DHL Western Province team ahead of their 2012 Absa Currie Cup, Round Two meeting with GWK Griquas in Kimberley this coming weekend.

With injuries playing a role – both in terms of players returning and those missing out – head coach Allister Coetzee ran through his team’s long injury-list at a press briefing on Monday afternoon.

As reported on Sunday, prop Deon Carstens (broken nose) and backs Burton Francis (knee) and Joe Pietersen (wrist) will all miss out after starting in Saturday’s 23-25 loss to the Sharks at DHL Newlands.

Flanker Rynhardt Elstadt (groin) is still not ready for battle, after missing the Sharks match, but that has been offset by the return of Super Rugby stars, loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff and No 8 Duane Vermeulen, both having recovered from knee injuries of differing severity.

Locks Don Armand and De Kock Steenkamp sat out training on Monday – to rest niggles from the weekend – but both will be fit to make the trip to Kimberley, according to the DHL WP boss.

Said Coetzee: “Burton (Francis) took a bump to the knee and he went to see the specialist. He won’t require an operation but it’s badly bruised.

“We’ve got plenty flyhalf options in Gary van Aswegen, Demetri Catrakilis and Kurt Coleman. I just feel with Gary that he probably needs a bit of game time. I had a long chat with him today and one option is for him to play a few club games (for the Maties). There’s no doubting his talent, but it’s just about getting his sharpness back. Both Demetri and Kurt played in the Vodacom Cup and Kurt, until recently, was playing for the Eagles in the First Division. Rigtht now it’s all about getting Gary as sharp as possible and he would achieve that playing club rugby.

“Joe (Pietersen) will be assessed again next Monday, but he’s definitely out for this weekend. It’s a scaphoid [wrist] problem – quite similar to that of Jean de Villiers. There’s no tear or anything, but it’s just badly bruised and a bit sensitive.

“Rynhardt (Elstadt) is definitely not available as yet and he will be re-assessed next week ahead of the Lions game. It’s a big possibility that he’ll be fine by then.

“Duane (Vermeulen) coped well in a double session today and it’s a positive step to have him back. We’re looking forward to having him back.”

In the absence of Pietersen, Gio Aplon will more than likely move to fullback with a new left-wing set to be named at Tuesday’s team announcement.

Coach Coetzee said he was looking forward to Saturday’s clash against GWK Griquas (kick-off 14h30) – an opportunity for DHL WP to set the record straight.

“The players understand that they were not at their best on Saturday. They’ve accepted it and they’ve owned up – that’s all I wanted and I know they’ll improve from now on,” he said.

“There were a lot of positives against the Sharks but I didn’t need to be negative today – the players have taken responsibility for their actions. The last thing you want is your team to go into its shell; you want to encourage, you want to fix and you want to build belief.”