It is exactly two months since Warren Whiteley last played rugby. But tomorrow when he runs out for the Lions in a Currie Cup match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein he will be hoping to make the kind of impact that will ensure the Joburg team make it eight wins on the trot.
Whiteley will wear his familiar No8 jersey, a day and two months after playing off the bench for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park. He also featured for 50 minutes in the match against the World XV on July 11, but it was only a 50-minute performance. Whiteley’s last full game was the Super Rugby match against the Stormers at Newlands on June 6.
“It’s been a frustrating and disappointing few weeks,” said Whiteley this week. “Firstly missing out on the World Cup squad and then picking up the calf injury. What helped me is that at least the guys have been playing well and winning and I’m now just hoping to make a contribution to the effort.
“We’ve got three round-robin games left, before the play-offs, and we’re targeting to win them all. That will give us a home semi-final and hopefully we can go one better than last year and host the final and win it. But the focus right now is on the Cheetahs … we have to keep the consistency going and pick up another win.”
Whiteley, who’s now finally over his calf injury, will join Steph de Wit and Jaco Kriel in the starting loose-trio. Kriel will continue to captain the side, while Kwagga Smith will play off the bench.
The only other change to the side that beat the Sharks a week ago is in the front row where Jacques van Rooyen returns for Ruan Dreyer. Rookie lock Lourens Erasmus retains his place alongside Franco Mostert, while on the bench hooker Mark Pretorius gets an opportunity.
The Lions will go into the weekend’s action with an eight point lead over the second-placed Bulls, with Western Province in third place. The Cheetahs are fourth in the standings, but with coach Franco Smith again making several changes to his side, including bringing in Sias Ebersohn for his first start of the campaign since rejoining from the Western Force, will do well to stop the Lions juggernaut.
Meanwhile, Lions centre Alwyn Hollenbach has called time on his career. The 30-year-old has been forced to retire due to a string of injuries, including a recurring shoulder problem.
In his seven years with the Lions, Hollenbach played just 37 Currie Cup games, 24 Super Rugby matches and 19 games in the Vodacom Cup.
“It is not a decision that I had any control over and I still had plans to play in France for two years. But one can’t plan these things. I was blessed with a long rugby career with lots of highs, like the four Currie Cup finals that I played in, and won. But the last one with the Lions (in 2011) is the most memorable and definitely a highlight in my career,” said Hollenbach.
TEAMS
Lions: Andries Coetzee; Ruan Combrinck, Stokkies Hanekom, Howard Mnisi, Courtnal Skosan; Marnitz Boshoff, Ross Cronjé; Warren Whiteley, Steph de Wit, Jaco Kriel (capt), Franco Mostert, Lourens Erasmus, Julian Redelinghuys, Malcolm Marx, Jacques van Rooyen. Replacements: Mark Pretorius, Ruan Dreyer, Fabian Booysen, Kwagga Smith, Jaco van der Walt, TBA, TBA
Cheetahs: Clayton Blommetjies, Sergeal Petersen, Francois Venter, Tertius Kruger, Raymond Rhule, Sias Ebersohn, Zee Mkhabela, Gerhard Olivier, Niell Jordaan, Vincent Jobo, Reniel Hugo, Freddy Ngoza, Luan de Bruin, Jacques du Toit, Teunis Nieuwoudt. Replacements: Neil Rautenbach, BG Uys, Willem Serfontein, De Wet Kruger, Rayno Benjamin, Shaun Venter, Fred Zeilinga - The Star