Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has rewarded some on-form fringe players by naming them in the starting XV to face Griquas in their Currie Cup clash in Kimberley on Saturday.
Loose forward Tertius Daniller and midfielder Marcel Brache were both very impressive when they played off the bench against the Pumas last week, and Coetzee said both players had earned their place in the run-on side.
“Tertius Daniller had a good game against the Pumas, and deserves an opportunity in the starting side. He also offers a good line-out option and that means that Nazeem Carr will play off the bench,” Coetzee said on Thursday.
Carr had been favoured for a starting berth earlier in the season and Coetzee explained that there would be more chances for him to stake his claim as the season progressed.
Brache is better known as an elusive outside back, but when Tim Whitehead injured medial ligaments in his knee after just 12 minutes against the Pumas last week he got an opportunity to impress at inside centre and gave a good account of himself to secure Whitehead’s starting place after his fellow UCT teammate was ruled out for four weeks.
“Brache impressed with his line-breaks against the Pumas and he got the nod ahead of Berton Klaasen, who we also considered after the injury to Tim Whitehead,” Coetzee said.
Hooker Deon Fourie was expected to be on the flight to Kimberley but the team doctor believed his nose, which was fractured three weeks ago, needed more time to set sufficiently.
Griquas held the Cape side to a 26-26 draw at Newlands in the opening week of Currie Cup action and are coming off a good win against central rivals the Cheetahs, so Coetzee’s team will have to be on their game if they are to register a win in Kimberley, which is never easy.
In view of the national team call-ups ahead of the World Cup, as well as a spate of injuries, Province have struggled to field a settled combination, but Coetzee was nevertheless pleased with the results this season.
“We are still striving to get the balance right in the team, in terms of our playing style. There are times when then the kicking game will work for us, while at other times we’ll prefer to run the ball up,” said Coetzee.
“This week we’re up against Griquas, and every team in this competition know they are tough in Kimberley. They play a high tempo game as well as a very physical game. They pride themselves on the set-pieces and since many of their players are in good form, they’re playing with lots of confidence,” added the Western Province boss.
Coetzee said his side would need to use their opportunities in search of their third straight win.
“We have not been taking our opportunities in recent games but we will have to be more accurate this week otherwise we’ll be punished. Griquas are an accurate team and we’ll have to respect them,” he said.
Province skipper Tiaan Liebenberg said he and his fellow forwards were facing a massive challenge against the hosts.
He said: “We know they’re a team that thrives on mauling but we’ve grown as a pack and we need to be up for the challenge. They are a formidable side at home, perhaps not so potent on the road.
“It is well-known that they have the best contesting line-out in the Currie Cup and they have many guys in their squad that were formerly from Cape Town, so they know what to expect,” added Liebenberg.
Western Province: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nick Koster, 7 Tertius Daniller, 6 Nick Fenton-Wells, 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Hilton Lobberts, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg (captain), 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 Quinton Roux, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Berton Klaasen, 22 Steven Hunt.
Date: Saturday, September 3
Venue: GWK Park, Kimberley
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Referee: Marius Jonker
Assistant Referees: Lourens van der Merwe, DeGoede Haasbroek
TMO: Gerrie Coetzee