World Cup winner on WP bench
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Loose forward Louw Nel will take over the captaincy for Western Province’s Carling Currie Cup encounter with the Pumas at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
After four consecutive away games, Western Province will play in only their second home match of the season.
Nel has started every game this season, showing an incredible work-rate on both attack and defence throughout. He will lead the team in the absence of Gary Porter, who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Nel is joined in the loose trio by Connor Evans and Paul de Villiers, while Riley Norton shifts to the second row in place of Porter.
The experienced utility forward and Springbok World Cup winner Deon Fourie, who lifted the trophy in 2012 as captain, will feature from the replacements bench.
The only change to the front row sees Mhleli Khuzwayo come back into the starting line-up.
In the backline, Luke Burger moves to fullback in place of the injured Tristan Leyds, with Joel Leotlela taking his place on the wing.
Coach Labeeb Levy said that his team is keen to make an impression in front of their home crowd.
“It has been four straight matches on the road from us and we can all clearly remember the fantastic support we got in our opening match at the Cape Town Stadium,” Levy said.
“The team is highly motivated to put in a good performance for our loyal supporters.
“We have been reinforced by a few experienced players, although we have also been hit with some injuries so we are aiming to put together an 80-minute performance and make the most of every moment out there,” he added.
Western Province: 15 Luke Burger, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Gino Cupido, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Jared Africa, 10 Kyle Smith, 9 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 8 Louw Nel (captain), 7 Connor Evans, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Riley Norton, 4 Alex Groves, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Mhleli Khuzwayo.
Replacements: 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Herman Lubbe, 19 Deon Fourie, 20 De Wet Marais, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Ronald Brown, 23 Brendan Venter.
Date: Saturday, August 30
Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Greenpoint
Kick-off: 19.20 (17.20 GMT)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Lulutho Matomela
TMO: Archie Moko
