VIDEO: Norton to debut for Western Province?
WATCH as Western Province assistant coach Brok Harris hints that a few of their victorious Junior Springboks could be introduced in Friday’s match against Griquas.
The Capetonians find themselves in a deep hole following two heavy opening-round defeats to the Bulls and Lions, respectively and are languishing in seventh position on the Currie Cup table.
The good news, however, is that Harris confirmed that they can call on their Junior Boks for the crucial trip to Kimberley, where they will face a Griquas team they haven’t beaten in the Currie Cup since 2018.
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Junior Bok captain Riley Norton, Wandile Mlaba, Oliver Reid, Xola Nyali, Siya Ndlozi, Dominic Malgas, Herman Lubbe and Gino Cupido could all be considered for the clash against the peacock blues, with Cupido having already had a taste off the bench against the Lions last week.
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“Yes, they had a nice break to switch off mentally [after the Under-20 championship],” Harris said.
“We will introduce a couple of them this week.
“Just like the club players, they arrived with loads of information, but yes, they’re ready to go.”
Harris added that he had no worries about how quickly the Junior Bok players can step up to Currie Cup level, as the margins are so small in the modern game between the respective competition levels.
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“In modern-day rugby, the U20s are just as [physically] big as the senior guys,” Harris jokingly said.
“From the Junior World Cup to Currie Cup, it [the transition] will be a bit quicker and the same counts for the United Rugby Championship [from Currie Cup].
“The processing skills and what players are taught during the week need to happen quicker.
“That’s probably the key thing for them – to know their roles and go out there to play.”
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