Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has welcomed back the returning Springboks in his side for the vital clash against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Top of the Currie Cup Premier Division log is at stake when these two sides clash on the weekend, so the motivation and expectation cannot be higher for this match. The battle will commence at Kings Park and ill determine which of these sides might host a possible Home Final at the end of the season.
Because of the importance of the match, Allister Coetzee has already indicated that he will want his returning Springboks available and ready to go. None of the returning Springboks are injured and all are fit and available for selection.
This week Allister Coetzee faces the conundrum of who to pick and who to leave out, as Western Province are still unbeaten in this year’s Currie Cup, therefore the stand-in players performed admirably. He said he faces a “healthy selection headache” and would settle on what he believes is the best matchday 22.
“To be honest, it will never be easy,” Coetzee said on Monday.
“If you look at how the players have put their bodies on the line and represented this Western Province side you feel for those who might miss out, but on the other hand you get your Springboks back. We’ll always play our best possible side and what’s an important aspect of our culture is there’s honesty and integrity – the players don’t guess, they know exactly where they stand with management, and that makes it easier for me.”
“It’ll never be about the individual, it’s about the team and the team comes first and that’s key to our success.”
Coetzee also mentioned that there’s no lack of motivation among the returning Test players and it is speculated that Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi will be amongst his starters on the weekend.
“Everyone is able, available and willing to play mentally and physically. I had a chat with them this morning and they all want to be a part of this,” he said.
“Some of the Springboks will definitely start and some will start on the bench. A guy like Siya hasn’t played a lot of rugby and I think Eben also, but I’ll sleep on that.”