Loose forward Luke Stringer will captain a DHL Western Province XV in a friendly match against Boland in Wellington on Friday.
The encounter, which kicks off at 11h00 at the Boland Stadium on Friday, will be the final hit-out for coach John Dobson’s squad ahead of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.
The match will give Dobson a final chance to look at the depth available to him ahead of his team’s SuperSport Rugby Challenge title defence, which kicks off on April 22 against the EP Kings.
The squad travelling to Wellington will be without a few players who are currently training with the DHL Stormers and will also not include any of the Maties players that will be involved in the upcoming Varsity Cup Final, which means that Dobson will have another chance to look at the options he has available.
Dobson said that after a lengthy pre-season, the players are keen to get their SuperSport Rugby Challenge campaign going.
“While there are still quite a few players missing, this will be a good opportunity for us to measure ourselves against Boland, who will be in our group in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.
“The players have worked very hard in the pre-season and with this final friendly and our camp coming up next week the squad is coming together well,” he said.
Stringer will lead the 27-man squad, which features an extended replacements bench.
“Luke is a popular member of the squad and the obvious choice as captain, we are expecting a tough outing against a competitive Boland side,” Dobson added.