Allister Coetzee, the DHL Western Province head coach, will consider all his Springboks for selection ahead of Saturday’s must-win Absa Currie Cup clash against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands (kick-off 17h05).
With DHL WP having gone down 13-26 to the Vodacom Blue Bulls last weekend, the Men in Blue & White stripes have to beat the Cheetahs to advance to the 2012 Currie Cup semifinals.
And, with the likes of centre Jean de Villiers, hooker Tiaan Liebenberg, locks Eben Etzebeth and Andries Bekker, No.8 Duane Vermeulen, centre Juan de Jongh and winger Bryan Habana all back at the HPC on Monday, WP could call upon all their Bok firepower for this must-win encounter.
“All the Boks are available,” said Coetzee on Monday.
“I had a good chat to all seven guys this morning – after speaking to them yesterday too – about how they feel individually; both physically and mentally.
“They understand our objectives here at the moment. The youngsters have done really well to keep us in the hunt, but they’re key players… they’re Springboks, that’s why we have them here with us at the moment.”
Coetzee added: “Not one of them indicated any form of tiredness or not wanting to play. This is potentially our last game at DHL Newlands for the season, hopefully not, so they must be involved.
“I also spoke to the guys about their form in the Bok side and I’ve been pleased with all seven guys – how they’ve been playing and how they’ve conducted themselves as WP/Stormers ambassadors at national level.
“At the start of the year we had just three players in the Springbok team now we have as many as seven.
“It goes to show that if players play well for their unions they will get their chances for the Boks and that’s what we expect from the guys coming back. They know what we want and we know what they want and we expect them to show the way. As coaches, it’s up to us to ensure that we get the best out of them.”
With just one round of league action remaining in the 2012 Absa Currie Cup season, Saturday’s game at DHL Newlands has a distinct quarterfinal feel to it.
“You’ve got to select your best possible side for the weekend,” stressed Coetzee.
“It’s completely different from last year, the mindset… everything. This is a crunch game for us (this weekend), last year we had to play the Pumas and we had already qualified for the semifinals. We want to select our best possible team and ensure we qualify for the semifinals.
“It’s good to have a bigger group to select from for a change and not just to fill gaps in the team.
“Obviously I’m very happy with the energy that they bring. You could see at training this morning how it lifted the youngsters – this a side that might have lost a bit of confidence in recent weeks. Everyone had a spring in their step, the youngsters and those Boks returning, and I’m really happy to see that. It’s positive for everyone, I must say.”
On the injury front, Springbok captain Jean de Villiers sat out training on Monday morning as he recovers from a niggle or two sustained during the 2012 Castle Rugby Championship, whilst there was also some potentially good news over the availability of Bok livewire Gio Aplon from his ankle injury. (CLICK HERE for the full DHL WP injury report.)
And looking ahead to this weekend’s exciting tussle, the WP boss concluded: “It’s crunch time for everyone and it says a lot for this strength versus strength competition. It’s exciting and we’re looking forward to it.
“The guys that are coming back are excited about what we’ve been trying to achieve in the Absa Currie Cup… it’s all about getting the right balance between the guys returning and those that have been holding the fort up till now.”
CLICK HERE for ticket information ahead of the weekend.