Coetzee casts a wide net
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has announced a 42-man training squad as they begin preparations for the defence of their Currie Cup title.
At present, nine Western Province club players are part of the 42-man group, as well as UWC lock Taz Fuzani who played for Western Province in the Vodacom Cup earlier this year.
Bellville veteran Bolla Conradie (who also played in the Vodacom Cup) is also training at the High Performance Centre, along with Hamilton’s No.6 Stef Botha, Helderberg No.8 Patrick O’Brien, Hamilton’s halfback Conrad Hoffmann, UCT and former SA Sevens star Pieter Engelbrecht, Maties’ Mark Hodgkiss (centre) and Ryan Nell (wing/fullback), and wingers Sinethemba Mapaqa (Bellville) and Craig Pheiffer (SK Walmers).
Botha, O’Brien, Mapaqa and Pheiffer all stood out in the WP Amateur trials on Monday of this week and were then invited to Currie Cup squad training by Coetzee.
Western Province – who will, again, be captained by forward Deon Fourie in 2013 – are the defending Currie Cup champions. They will start their campaign against the Blue Bulls – at Newlands – on Saturday, August 10.
Western Province Currie Cup training squad: Gio Aplon, Edries Arendse, Stef Botha, Marcel Brache, Schalk Burger, Nizaam Carr, Pat Cilliers, Kurt Coleman, Bolla Conradie, Damian de Allende, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Rynhardt Elstadt, Pieter Engelbrecht, Eben Etzebeth, Deon Fourie (captain), Taz Fuzani, Gerbrandt Grobler, Nic Groom, Brok Harris, Mark Hodgkiss, Conrad Hoffmann, Rohan Kitshoff, Steven Kitshoff, Cheslin Kolbe, Siya Kolisi, Berton Klaasen, Tiaan Liebenberg, Sinethemba Mapaqa, Frans Malherbe, Ryan Nell, Scarra Ntubeni, Patrick O’Brien, Craig Pheiffer, Michael Rhodes, Louis Schreuder, De Kock Steenkamp, Gary van Aswegen, Gerhard van den Heever, Michael van der Spuy, Alistair Vermaak, Duane Vermeulen.
