Cape Town - Steven Kotshoff and Scarra Ntubeni will add bite to Western Province’s bark as the Currie Cup’s defending champions aim to snap a two-game slump by winning a “dogfight” against Griquas at Newlands on Saturday.
The defending champions went to Bloemfontein in round four searching for five log points and returned with one loss-margin bonus point after a 28-21 reverse against the Cheetahs.
This result followed on the heels of a 47-29 defeat at Loftus Versfeld, and Province now head into round five in third place, level with fourth-placed Free State on points and just one point clear of the chasing Sharks.
“We’re in a dogfight,” said WP coach John Dobson on Monday. “If we think we’ve got a right (to win) because we wear the blue-and-white hoops, we haven’t. But we must also keep some perspective - the Cheetahs are very much an improving side and we lost against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
“We’ve had two games with 25-minute horror periods. In the first one, we got bullied (by the Blue Bulls) for 25 minutes, and in this last game we just made three errors that saw us 25-3 down.
“We won the game 18-3 in the final 48 minutes and... showed enormous character.
“This week we’ve got Griquas at home, which is probably the right time because we’ve played three of our four games away.
“What we really want to do is get some momentum against Griquas, do something good against the Sharks at King’s Park (next week) and then put the record straight against the Bulls at Newlands (18 September). If we get that right then we’re right back in it.”
Kitshoff was right back in training with WP on Monday and is set to slot in at No 1 after he was omitted from Heyneke Meyer’s 31-man Springbok World Cup squad at the weekend.
“We are going to look at some personnel changes - we can’t wish away the last two weeks and pretend everything’s fine,” said the WP coach. “Where we’ve got the ability to make changes, we must.
“Everyone felt that he was the best loosehead prop in South Africa during Super Rugby and not to go to the World cup is a great disappointment. He’s very keen to play for us again.”
Ntubeni was released from the wider Bok training group two weeks ago and has been riding the WP bench behind hooker Bongi Mbonambi. Dobson confirmed that the KES old boy would resume duty in the front row with Kitshoff, restoring a combination that started nine games for the Stormers earlier this year.
“Scarra deserves a start now, and we’re quite blessed at loosehead prop at the moment with Alistair Vermaak, who I thought was very good against the Cheetahs, Oliver Kebble has had a good season so far, and now Steven Kitshoff.”
Kebble’s hamstring injury will keep him on the sidelines for at least one more week and the same goes for journeyman scrumhalf Jano Vermaak who is nursing a damaged finger ligament.
Halfback regular Nic Groom is back after a second-half appearance for the Barbarians in a 27-24 win against Samoa in London on Saturday, and he will resume duty at No 9 with Godlen Masimla on the bench and Louis Schreuder dropping out of the matchday 22.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe is also battling with a shoulder complaint and breakaway Chris Cloete is likely to make his Currie Cup starting debut at No 6, with Rynhardt Elstadt shifting to the blindside and one of Jurie van Vuuren or Rayn Smid filling the vacancy on the bench.
“To get five points against Griquas would be a big bonus, but the win is really important for us,” said WP skipper Nizaam Carr. “We are in front of our home crowd, so our first priority is to get the win.”
Cape Argus