WP 'forced' to change seven
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has made seven changes to his team for Saturday's Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls at Newlands.
The changes include a positional switch, with captain Deon Fourie shifting to No.6 flank and Siyabonga Ntubeni starting at hooker.
The unavailability of No.8 Duane Vermeulen, called up the Springbok squad, as well as flanks Siya Kolisi (fractured thumb – out for the season) and Tyrone Holmes (AC Joint – one week), forced the changes on the coach.
Fourie will be partnered in the back row by fit-again hard man Rynhardt Elstadt (No.7) and Canadian Jebb Sinclair (No.8).
In a final change to the pack forgotten Bok Deon Carstens has recovered from a broken nose and he will start at loosehead prop – allowing Steven Kitshoff to take a break on the bench.
In the backline, meanwhile, WP Under-21 star JP du Plessis will start at outside centre, following Juan de Jongh's Springbok recall.
Experienced scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage will make his second start of the Currie Cup season, after two weeks of limited action as part of a rotational policy at scrumhalf, with Nic Groom coming on to the bench this week.
Joining Groom on the bench is Maties flank Helmut Lehmann (the WP Under-21 captain last season), whilst current U21 star Damian de Allende (centre/wing) is back on the bench after featuring as a replacement against Griquas in Round Two.
Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Ederies Arendse, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Don Armand, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Steven Kitshoff, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Helmut Lehmann, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Damian de Allende, 22 Kurt Coleman.
Date: Saturday, September 1
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistant referees: Jonathan Kaplan, Marc van Zyl
TMO: Johann Meuwesen
