Nine players will make their Absa Currie Cup debuts for DHL Western Province when they take on the Sharks in a first-round match at DHL Newlands on Saturday (kick-off 19h10).
Deon Fourie, who will start in the No 6 jersey, was on Wednesday confirmed as the man to captain DHL WP during the 2012 Absa Currie Cup season and he will have a raft of ‘new’ players around him come the weekend.
Backs Gerhard van den Heever, JP du Plessis and Burton Francis all played in the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament for the DHL Stormers this year, but will be on debut for DHL WP in the Absa Currie Cup tournament, along with forwards Jebb Sinclair, Don Armand, Tyrone Holmes and Deon Carstens.
Starting centre Du Plessis and reserves Wilhelm van der Sluys and Damian de Allende have all played for the DHL Western Province Under-21 team this season and follow in the footsteps of Springbok squad members, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, as players who are still eligible for the DHL WP U21 side at present.
Thirteen members of the DHL WP matchday squad faced up to the Sharks in their recent Vodacom Super Rugby clash at this selfsame venue, whilst eight players represented the victorious Vodacom Cup side at some point this year.
“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 Allister Coetzee, the DHL Western Province head coach.
“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 during the Absa Currie Cup season.”
The DHL Western Province team to take on the Sharks is as follows:
15. Joe Pietersen
14. Gerhard van den Heever*
13. JP du Plessis*
12. Marcel Brache
11. Gio Aplon
10. Burton Francis*
9. Dewaldt Duvenage
8. Jebb Sinclair*
7. Tyrone Holmes*
6. Deon Fourie (captain)
5. De Kock Steenkamp
4. Don Armand*
3. Frans Malherbe
2. Tiaan Liebenberg
1. Deon Carstens*
RESERVES:
16. Siyabonga Ntubeni
17. Brok Harris
18. JC Kritzinger
19. Wilhelm van der Sluys*
20. Louis Schreuder
21. Gary van Aswegen
22. Damian de Allende*
* On Absa Currie Cup debut for DHL Western Province.
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
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)
