Pukke keep faith for 2009 final
FNB Pukke head coach Rudy Joubert has named an unchanged starting XV for Monday’s 2009 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International Final against the Maties.
In fact, Joubert has not tampered at all with the matchday 22 that beat the Ikey Tigers 19-17 in the semifinals at Groote Schuur this past Monday.
That means, once again, that powerhouse No.8 Willem van der Wal will lead the Men from Potchefstroom into battle and he will rely on young loosehead strongman BG Uys to front up to the defending champions at their home ground.
“We are a very adept at adapting to different conditions,” Joubert told varsitycup.co.za.
“The Cape feels a bit like a second home at the moment and one has to remember that we are quite used to the Danie Craven Stadium nowadays.”
This match is a repeat of last year’s National Club Champs semifinal between the selfsame Maties and Pukke – a game the Men from Potchefstroom won 23-20, before going on to clinch the National club title; making the 2009 Varsity Cup Final the ultimate decider between the best university side (Maties) and the best club side (Pukke) in South Africa.
FNB Pukke: 15 Willem Barnard, 14 Andrew Van Wyk, 13 Wenstley Scott, 12 Wouter Watermeyer, 11 Lolo Waka, 10 Cecil Dumond, 9 Andries Mahoney, 8 Willem van der Wal (captain), 7 Savvas Nel, 6 Jaco Lötter, 5 Markus Fourie, 4 Grant le Roux, 3 Stephan Bezuidenhout, 2 Stoffel Duvenage, 1 BG Uys.
Replacements: 16 Lourens Botes, 17 Dewald Coetzee, 18 Victor Kruger, 19 Thabo Molete, 20 Theuns Kotzé, 21 Marcel du Toit, 22 Randall April.
Head coach: Rudy Joubert
Assistant coaches: Attie Strauss, Mervyn Taylor
Kick-off: Monday, March 30, 6.45pm – Danie Craven Stadium (Stellenbosch)
