Levi Calthorpe - Captain of R'bosch

Rondebosch captain Levi Calthorpe will lead his side out for just his second game at the helm when they take on Bishops on Saturday.

The mobile No.8, who runs the 800 metres for Western Province, was forced to take over the captaincy for the match against Tygerberg last week, and although the two players who captained the side before him this season return from injury this weekend he will continue as skipper for the big derby.

Calthorpe says that despite the defeat to Tygerberg last weekend his team is looking forward to welcoming Bishops on Saturday as they have got a few key players back from injury.

"The guys were quite down after last week, but since Monday the intensity in training has been really high and the team is full of gees," he said.

Both teams have had their difficulties this year but Calthorpe is adamant that form is not that important when Rondebosch take on Bishops, as the rivalry tends to level things out.

"Our results against them over the years have been quite even through the age-groups, and it is difficult against Bishops every year so we won't be underestimating them," he explained.

The Rondebosch skipper knows what to expect from a Bishops side that are renowned for playing with width and he admitted that the performance of his tight five will be crucial as they look to put the visitors under pressure by putting them on the back foot.

As an 800 metres athlete Calthorpe has the ability to maintain a high intensity throughout the match, which makes him the perfect player to lead by example in a tense derby match.

Calthorpe, who plans to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at UCT next year, knows that it will take a big performance up front for his side to stamp their authority against a dangerous Bishops outfit.