WP's Kings Park sparring session
Western Province will use their clash with the Sharks this weekend to ensure that they are firing on all cylinders in the knock-out stage of the Currie Cup.
Whilst the team that wins at Kings Park on Saturday will finish on top of the standings, another critical aspect of this match will be for the returning Springboks slot in and ensure that the new combinations are battle-hardened before their semifinal at Newlands next week.
With four Boks back in the starting line-up and national skipper Jean de Villiers on the bench there will be some adjustments to be made, and coach Allister Coetzee is grateful that his team will face a tough Sharks team looking to do exactly the same thing.
"Knowing that you are in a semifinal, what better preparation can you ask for? Going to the Sharks to see where you are, at that intensity before the knock-out stages – we need that.
"It is going to be one massive game, a Springbok-laden Sharks team which we have a lot of respect for. The Sharks side is a well-organised team this year, it is completely different to what we faced last year.
"Instead of playing your last round robin game knowing that you will get five points and beat the side, this is really going to be a big match and we are going to be tested all over the field. At scrum-time, line-out time, at the breakdown, at the back with the kicking game so it is really going to be a proper match," he said.
The match will be a replay of last year's final which saw Province claim the title away from home, and while Coetzee would obviously like his side to continue their unbeaten run this season, there is also a focus on making sure that his first-choice team is ready for whatever comes their way next week.
"It is important for the team that have been playing in the Currie Cup up until now to understand the intensity and the accuracy that is required this weekend.
"We have spoken about Super Rugby intensity and it will be exactly that come this weekend. What I am looking for is the Currie Cup guys to lift their game and those Boks to maintain those same standards," he explained.
The Province coach said that while he feels for the players that have performed consistently throughout the Currie Cup only to be left out, it was an obvious decision to get his Boks back in the mix.
"It is about getting the best possible team out there, and this for me is the best team for this weekend. Unfortunately that is the dynamics of rugby and we always knew it would take more than 15 or 22 players to be successful this season.
"A player like Nizaam Carr has been outstanding throughout the competition, but he has played his part and there is a Springbok coming back. I don't think it is that difficult, it is just how it is, that is how life is sometimes.
"They have been unbelievable during the Currie Cup campaign and they are unfortunate but anything can happen this weekend and then they are back in the mix.
"The thing about our squad system is that those players accepted it well and they are positive and they are supporting the team for this weekend," he said.
Coetzee explained that the decision to bench Bok captain Jean de Villiers was based on his heavy workload this year which has seen him hardly miss a minute, although he is confident that the experienced midfielder has been managed correctly.
"He is 100%, the way he has trained there is nothing wrong. I think the big thing is not about the 80 minutes on the Saturday but about the time on his feet during the week and we have taken care of that.
"Jean wasn't involved on Monday at all and I gave him off Tuesday as well so he is really fresh and he is fine.
"I just think that a lot of things, not just as a player being physically taxed on his body but also mentally. He has been the leader in the Rugby Championship so he has had a lot on his plate and he is really comfortable to come off the bench this weekend," he said.
By Michael de Vries
