JOHANNESBURG – Western Province have been boosted with the inclusion of some key players for their SuperSport Rugby Challenge clash with Border at the Phillip Herbstein Field in Constantia on Saturday.
Fullback Craig Barry and loose forward Jaco Coetzee return from Stormers duty to take their place in the starting line-up for the encounter, which kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.
The only two changes to the backline see Barry come in at fullback and Duncan Saal back on the wing, with Tristan Leyds and Cornel Smit providing cover on the replacements bench.
In the forward pack, Coetzee links up with captain Luke Stringer and Chris Massyn in the loose trio and David Meihuizen partners Ernst van Rhyn at lock, while in the front row Michael Kumbirai starts alongside Scarra Ntubeni and Ali Vermaak.
The SuperSport Rugby Challenge match will form part of a double-header, with hosts False Bay RFC taking on rivals Hamilton RFC in their Super League A club rugby opener at 5pm.
Western Province coach John Dobson said that his team is intent on continuing their unbeaten start to the campaign.
“We know that Border are a dangerous side, so we will have to be on our game. However, our focus is very much on our own game and raising our own standards,” said Dobson.
“The players are looking forward to what should be another tough match and it is also great to be involved for what is the start of the local club season.”
The Western Province team is:
15 Craig Barry, 14 Duncan Saal, 13 Dan Kriel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 Justin Phillips, 8 Jaco Coetzee, 7 Chris Massyn, 6 Luke Stringer (captain), 5 David Meihuizen, 4 Ernst van Rhyn, 3 Michael Kumbirai, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Herschel Jantjies, 21 Tristan Leyds, 22 Cornel Smit.