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Currie Cup the next phase for Coetzee and co.

PUBLISHED: August 6, 2012


It was all systems go at the High Performance Centre on Monday morning, with DHL Western Province head coach Allister Coetzee looking forward to the 2012 Absa Currie Cup season which gets underway against the Sharks this coming weekend.

“It was important last week to get over the Super Rugby disappointment and close that door completely behind us before we open the next one… which is the Currie Cup,” said the DHL WP boss after a good team training session in Bellville.

“Our focus is now on the Currie Cup which our management consider the first phase in our Super Rugby campaign next year.

“We know how important this Currie Cup will be for us and we want to do really well, but we use it as our first phase of our campaign going forward.”

There is no greater test than taking on the Sharks, but the DHL WP boss dismissed any talk of revenge after their Vodacom Super Rugby semifinal clash from nearly two weeks ago.

“It’s important to get off to a good start in the competition irrespective of who you play and home games are particular importance too,” said Coetzee.

“We won 14 from 17 [in the Super Rugby season] which shows that there is not a lot wrong and we will definitely not try and re-invent the wheel. We will tweak one or two things but there is not a lot that is needed to be changed.”

DHL WP will be without their five Springboks, locks Eben Etzebeth and Andries Bekker, loose forward Siya Kolisi and backs Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana – all of whom were called up for the Castle Rugby Championship, but Coetzee said their replacements were more than up for the challenge of playing Absa Currie Cup rugby.

“We have lost Eben, Andries and Siya in the pack who were some of our most physical blokes in the team, so it’s a great challenge for those who will be stepping in,” said Coetzee.

“I think the Currie Cup gives you the opportunity to blood some young players and I have cast my net wider and I have gone to clubs. Players like Reniel Hugo, Tyrone Holmes and Edries Arendse have got to step up and show that they can play at this level.

“I have also invited Hugo Kloppers to join us and there are players like Yaya Hartzenburg and Reuben Johannes who will get the opportunity to play at this level.”

DHL Western Province will be without loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff (knee) this weekend, but loose forward Duane Vermeulen is making good progress as he returns from his long-term knee injury.

However, Springbok star Schalk Burger remains an injury doubt and Coetzee seems to have resigned himself to being without his influential skipper for the remainder of 2012.

“Steven Kitshoff is battling with his knee. There is nothing majorly wrong with it, but it is not as stable as it should be. Therefore, being a prop, we want to take all of the pressure off him so we have given him some rehab this week and hopefully by next week he will be fine again.

“Duane trained with us and compared to the sessions he did before the semifinals he is much stronger. The knee is not puffy and is really much better so he becomes a selection option next week,” said Coetzee.

“Schalk is still out completely. He had to stop the rehab completely because he wasn’t going any further so he saw a specialist last week and we are just waiting for the report on that.

“There is a possibility that he might have to clean up the whole thing again or the other option would be to just do nothing for a while and then reassess from there. I think he will be out for they year… but that’s without even looking at the specialist’s report.”

Meanwhile, Coetzee will reveal his full Absa Currie Cup squad on Wednesday, as well as announcing his 2012 captain and, of course, the team to face the Sharks at DHL Newlands on Saturday (kick-off 19h10).

Speaking about the captaincy, Coetzee added: “We see it as just a guy running out with an armband as there are a lot of leaders in the team who help the captain do his job.”

The full programme for Saturday, August 11 (at DHL Newlands):
14h55 – DHL Western Province Under-19 vs Sharks
16h45 – DHL Western Province Under-21 vs Sharks
19h10 – DHL Western Province vs Sharks (Absa Currie Cup)