Kings bring in giant Mtyanda for Bulls
Davids has opted for consistency after their historic31-30 win againts he Jaguares in Buenos Aires last weekend.
Lock Wilhelm van der Sluys, who has been a consistent performer for the Kings since joining the side earlier in the season on a loan agreement from English Premiership side, Worcester Warriors, has been sidelined after sustaining a concussion in last weekend’s match in Argentina.
The lanky Van der Sluys will be replaced in the starting XV by Lubabalo Mtyanda, who slotted in with aplomb as a replacement at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani last weekend.
"Wilhelm van der Sluys is a very special player, on and off the field, and a core member of the team. His injury is a big loss for the team," Davids said about the injury that has forced the change to the team.
"But I also must say that a player like Giant Mtyanda, who will replace Wilhelm, really put up his hand and gave a good performance. We really hope he can continue with that into our next game.
"We are happy we did not have any other injuries and we have some solid combinations that we can work with,"
Mtyanda’s spot on the bench will be filled by the equally capable Mzwanele Zito, who has held his own in previous appearances for the Southern Kings earlier this season in the National Provincial Challenge.
In the pursuit of consistancy, Davids made no other changes to the team.
"The rest of the team remains the same," the head coach Davids confirmed.
"We are happy to be able to keep our changes to a bare minimum in an effort to remain consistent and continue with the momentum we are building as a team.
"It is important that we finish the season on a high note, and consistency will go a long way in ensuring that we retain the best possible combinations and continue to play the high standard of rugby we have set for ourselves,"
Kings: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Wandile Mjekevu, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje (captain), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 4 Irne Herbst, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Michael Willemse, 1 Mzamo Majola
Replacements: 16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Schalk Ferreira, 18. Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19. Mzwanele Zito, 20. Thembelani Bholi, 21. Stefan Ungerer, 22. Masixole Banda, 23. Yaw Penxe.
Date: Saturday, July 8
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17.15 (15.15 GMT)
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
