Ikeys gear up for 'massive' battle
Acting FNB UCT head coach Kevin Foote has announced a powerful starting line-up for Saturday’s Southern Suburbs derby clash against Villager’s.
James Martin, the 2008 Varsity Cup Back of the Tournament, returns to the UCT ranks after retiring at the end of last season, whilst USA Eagles loose forward JJ Gagiano is back at No.8 after a few weeks on the sidelines.
In another boost for the Ikey Tigers, giant lock Michael Passaportis is back from his stint with the Mighty Elephants in the Currie Cup first division and he will form a daunting second row combination with skipper Bodo Sieber.
Ashley Wells and Dylan Rogers (pictured) will prop up Springbok hooker Hanyani Shimange in the front row and Foote has wisely kept faith with the burgeoning 10-12 combination of Doug Mallett (flyhalf) and Matt Rosslee (inside centre).
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s meeting, Foote – a former UCT skipper – told varsitycup.co.za: “Wednesday’s result (a 67-7 win over Kraaifontein) was obviously very pleasing, but Saturday will be a massive challenge for us.”
UCT claimed a 26-7 win over Villager’s in their first-round fixture at the Green Mile earlier in the year, but the Brooksiders will be desperate to claim a win as they look to secure their place in the WP Super League next season.
The UCT team: 15 Therlow Pietersen, 14 James Martin, 13 Dave Edgar, 12 Matthew Rosslee (vice-captain), 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Doug Mallett, 9 Stu Commins, 8 JJ Gagiano, 7 Craig Kleu, 6 Nick Fenton-Wells, 5 Michael Passaportis, 4 Bodo Sieber (captain), 3 Dylan Rogers, 2 Hanyani Shimange, 1 Ashley Wells.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Page, 17 Wes Chetty, 18 Dane Galley, 19 Sam Peter, 20 Sean van Tonder, 21 Dave Clayton, 22 Freddie Strange.
Kick-off: 4pm, Brookside
