Province face flyhalf poser
The return to fitness of Gary van Aswegen has left Western Province coach Allister Coetzee with a tricky selection poser ahead of the weekend’s clash with the Sharks in Cape Town.
Van Aswegen has recovered from a shoulder injury but Coetzee may opt for continuity and stick with incumbent Kurt Coleman as the defending champions prepare to welcome the log leaders to Newlands.
“Kurt has played really well. He’s made no mistakes, defended well and kicked six from seven goals,” Coetzee told the media in Bellville on Monday.
“It’s not an easy decision but I’ll look at what the Sharks bring and who’s best suited for the game this weekend.”
Newly recruited No.10 Demetri Catrakilis (shoulder) trained with the squad on Monday but is yet to take full contact. He will be closely monitored and could be named on the bench.
“He definitely won’t start. We need to give ‘Dim’ more time to run our systems in contact and he hasn’t done that yet,” said Coetzee.
Western Province have no serious injury concerns following last Friday’s 31-all draw with the Golden Lions at Ellis Park.
Flank Rynhardt Elstadt (tendinitis) sat out Monday’s training as a precautionary but will be available, while No.8 Nizaam Carr had some tightness but came through training unscathed.
Coetzee was reluctant to make any further comments on the controversial decisions of the match officials after venting his frustration in the immediate aftermath of the match.
When pressed, he stressed that he had not intended to verbally attack officials and that he only seeks consistency.
"It should not have come to that [the referee asking the TMO to check if a try was scored], because there was a blatant knock-on in front of the try-line," Coetzee said in reference to the penalty try against his team.
"It is a blatant thing that has gone on unnoticed, and it led to the turning point in the game.
"And then Damian [de Allende] gets yellow-carded when it wasn't foul play. He didn't do anything wrong. The yellow card left us playing with 14 men on the Highveld. It is so important to have 15 players on the field.
"We all want to ensure that the viewers out there understand what is happening [on the field], and we should guard against decisions becoming too technical."
