Shimlas hooked on Grobler
FNB Shimlas head coach Jaco Swanepoel has swapped his hookers around ahead of Monday’s crucial Varsity Cup clash against TUT at the TUT Stadium (kick-off 6.45pm).
Hans Grobler will wear the No.2 shirt against TUT, with Gert Erasmus – who was yellow carded in the first half of this past week’s 20-23 loss to UCT in Cape Town – dropping to the bench for this must-win encounter.
Aside from Erasmus’s presence on the bench, the other change amongst the replacements sees utility back Mayibuye Ndwandwa come in for SA Under-20 trialist Pieter Labuschagne (flanker).
Ndwandwa will wear jersey No.20 on the bench, with Paul Roux in jersey No.18 and Johan van Niekerk wearing the No.19 shirt. This gives the Shimlas bench a more regular four/three split in terms of forwards and backs.
Shimlas head into this encounter against the only winless team in the competition desperate for a bonus-point victory to keep their slim FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International semifinal aspirations alive.
The visitors need to beat TUT by a convincing margin and score four tries for that all-important bonus point.
That would then take them up to 16 log points – the same as Tuks, who will need to go down heavily (and without a bonus point) to FNB Maties in Stellenbosch at the same time, which would allow Shimlas to leap-frog them on the standings.
Also, and more importantly, Shimlas have to hope that NMMU can record their second win of the season against UJ, as the Men from Johannesburg are on 13 log points.
However, a win for UJ, and a loss for Tuks – no matter what Shimlas do against TUT – will see Hugo van As’s team go through to the semifinals.
FNB Shimlas: 15 Llewellyn Adonis, 14 Shagan Windvogel, 13 Cameron Jacobs, 12 Niël Jacobs, 11 Roelof Steyn, 10 Jaco Colyn (captain), 9 Marlin Ruiters, 8 Arné Grobbelaar, 7 Willie Britz, 6 André Tredoux, 5 Frans la Grange, 4 Phillip Steyn, 3 Drew van Coller, 2 Hans Grobler, 1 Roelof Koorsen.
Replacements: 16 Gert Erasmus, 17 Sewes Oosthuizen, 18 Paul Roux, 19 Johan van Niekerk, 20 Mayibuye Ndwandwa, 21 Earl Snyman, 22 Lionel Cronjé.
Head coach: Jaco Swanepoel
Assistant coach: Dougie Heymans
Kick-off: Monday, March 16, 6.45pm, TUT Stadium
