AUDIO: The plan to get Kitshoff Springbok ready
REACTION: Western Province assistant coach Dawie Snyman is confident that Steven Kitshoff is well en route to return to the Springboks fold for the rest of the Rugby Championship.
Kitshoff has been named in WP’s starting line-up to take on the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The loosehead prop returned to Cape Town after a short stint with Irish giants Ulster.
The 32-year-old, who captained Stormers to the United Rugby Championship title in the inaugural season, is set to make his first appearance for the Currie Cup side since 2021.
Kitshoff hasn’t played a match since he sustained a serious knee injury during Ulster’s Challenge Cup quarterfinal clash against Clermont in April.
He missed the Springboks’ mid-year internationals against Wales, Ireland and Portugal as well as the opening Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Australia.
However should the star come out of the WP showdown against the Lions unscathed, he could earn a recall to the Springboks squad for their upcoming Rugby Championship matches with the All Blacks in Johannesburg on August 31 and Cape Town on September 7.
“Steven is back from injury, so he is going to get some game time with us,” said WP assistant coach Dawie Snyman.
“He has training for the last few weeks. We were just waiting on the medical [reports to let us know ] what he could do and also the game time he can get to get him ready for the Springboks.
“But at the same time play well for Western Province.”
Snyman explained that great communication between the Cape Town franchise and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) has been vital as both parties are eager to get the veteran back in the green and gold jersey.
“Kitsie [Kitshoff] is heavily involved in the Springboks and part of their plan, so we just wanted to know exactly in terms of his rehab [how to approach it].
“We were sending feedback to them, how he’s been tracking in training and what we needed to do to help him.
“There was also a discussion with Kitsie about what he needs to do to be ready to play Test again.”
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In terms of the strategy for Kitshoff during Saturday’s Currie Cup fixture against Lions, Snyman said: “We will assess how he’s doing just after half time.
“We will give him at least 40 minutes. We will assess just in terms of the speed of the game and will make a call after that.”
He added: “Steven has been training well. He has been on the field with the team for the last two or three weeks, training at a high intensity. So he will handle the load.”
Kitshoff’s return adds loads of experience to the front row, which includes captain Scarra Ntubeni and Junior Springbok captain Zach Porthen.
Kitshoff and Ntubeni started in the 2012 Currie Cup Final when WP were crowned champions.
The backline also received a boost as veteran scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage in the No.9 jersey adds the much-needed guidance.
“Those guys bring a wealth of experience. They have been around,” said Snyman.
“You can immediately feel the lift in standard and in the energy in our team, even if they are a bit older and move a bit slower, some of them.
“It’s great to have guys like Scarra and Steven next to each other. They have played a lot of rugby together. Also having Dewaldt guiding a young backline.”
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