A fresh start is what Western Province will be hoping for from their second Currie Cup game against the Cheetahs on Friday.
They have certainly given the team a fresh look as well following an unacceptable performance in going down 45-26 in their tournament opener against the Bulls at Loftus two weeks ago.
Cheslin Kolbe will play off the bench as he finds his feet again in 15-man rugby following his exploits at the Rio Olympics, where the Blitzboks clinched a bronze medal last week.
But on Wednesday, coach John Dobson recalled Jaco Taute – who was left out of the Bulls game for Scott van Breda – at fullback for Friday’s clash at Newlands (5.10pm), while other Stormers players such as Kobus van Wyk, Johnny Kotze and Brandon Thomson will start as well.
Daniel du Plessis has a shoulder injury, which sees Huw Jones move to No 12 to accommodate Kotze.
But the most significant selection is Sikhumbuzo Notshe at No 8. Notshe was sent from the Springbok squad to get game time for Province as he was deemed surplus to requirements for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Nelspruit.
Bok coach Allister Coetzee’s decision to let Notshe go – although he is still part of the overall squad – is hard to understand as he was one of the form South African loose forwards in Super Rugby.
Instead, Oupa Mohoje and Francois Louw have been retained despite not having impressed this year. So Notshe will be going all out to prove a point at Newlands as Coetzee said this week that he sees the WP star as a back-up No 8 to Warren Whiteley.
Notshe also benefits from Nizaam Carr’s shoulder problem that saw him go for an arthroscopy this week, as Carr would’ve probably been the first-choice No 8 for WP in this Currie Cup.
But while Notshe will add some punch at the back of the scrum, Dobson has again opted for two “bruiser” type of flanks in Rynhardt Elstadt at openside and Maties No 8 Kobus van Dyk at blindside.
One of WP’s major issues against the Bulls was the lack of urgency in getting to the breakdowns, and they needed to bring in someone who is quick across the ground and has the skills to contest the rucks.
An inspired selection would’ve been SA Under-20 No 6 Zain Davids – who was a revelation at the Junior World Championship recently – but the former Rondebosch Boys’ star has been picked for the WP Under-19 team at No 8 this week.
Cheetahs flanks Uzair Cassiem and Paul Schoeman have an impressive work-rate around the field on attack and defence despite being big men physically, so Province have missed a trick by not bringing in a livewire such as Davids.
It is also surprising to see the talented blindside flank Jacques Vermeulen drop straight down to the WP Under-21 side after starting against the Bulls.
JD Schickerling is out with an unspecified illness, which sees Jan de Klerk in the No 4 jersey alongside Chris van Zyl, who has been appointed as the WP captain for the rest of the season.
That decision is also questionable, because while Carr is injured, other more senior candidates include hooker Scarra Ntubeni and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak.
Teams For Newlands
Western Province: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Huw Jones, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Brandon Thomson, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Rynhardt Elstadt, 5 Chris van Zyl (captain), 4 Jan de Klerk, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Bench: 16 Martin Ferreira, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 JP Smith, 19 Jurie van Vuuren, 20 Godlen Masimla, 21 Robert du Preez, 22 Cheslin Kolbe.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Rayno Benjamin, 13 Nico Lee, 12 William Small-Smith, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Tian Meyer (captain), 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Jacques du Toit, 1 Charles Marais.
Bench: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Justin Basson, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 Niel Marais, 23 Michael van der Spuy.
Referee: Craig Joubert. Kickoff: 5.10pm.
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