DHL Western Province team named for Absa Currie Cup Final
Brok Harris and his captain Deon Fourie celebrate after beating the MTN Golden Lions in the last minute of the semi-final. Photo by Anton Geyser /Rugby15.
DHL Western Province head coach Allister Coetzee has named his team for Saturday’s 2012 Absa Currie Cup Final against the Sharks at Mr Price Kings Park in Durban (17h00).
Coetzee has made just one change to the starting line-up that beat the Golden Lions 21-16 in last Saturday’s dramatic semifinal, with Damian de Allende and Marcel Brache trading places – De Allende starting in the No.12 jersey and Brache dropping to the bench for the final.
“They have got a powerful team and I think Marcel (Brache) will do a job off the bench and we will probably be needing his experience in the last couple of minutes of the game,” explained Coetzee.
“We have got to front up physically and I think Damien (de Allende) is the right choice.
“He is quite a good ball-carrier, he has got explosive pace, he is quite big and tall and he has got good core skills as well.”
Flank Deon Fourie will captain the team, with six Under-21 players in the matchday 22 and six Test Springboks and one Canadian international in the squad.
The DHL Western Province team to take on the Sharks in the 2012 Absa Currie Cup Final is as follows:
15. Gio Aplon
14. Gerhard van den Heever
13. Juan de Jongh
12. Damian de Allende
11. Bryan Habana
10. Demetri Catrakilis
9. Nic Groom
8. Duane Vermeulen
7. Don Armand
6. Deon Fourie (captain)
5. De Kock Steenkamp
4. Eben Etzebeth
3. Frans Malherbe
2. Scarra Ntubeni
1. Steven Kitshoff
RESERVES:
16. Deon Carstens
17. Brok Harris
18. Wilhelm van der Sluys
19. Jebb Sinclair
20. Louis Schreuder
21. Marcel Brache
22. Joe Pietersen
Referee: Jaco Peyper
DHL WP ABSA CURRIE CUP FINAL FACT SHEET
Players not considered for selection this weekend due to long-term injuries:
– Tiaan Liebenberg (hooker, back)
– Andries Bekker (lock, toe)
– Schalk Burger (flank, knee)
– Siya Kolisi (flank, shoulder/thumb)
– Rynhardt Elstadt (flank, rib)
– Nizaam Carr (No.8, knee)
– Dewaldt Duvenage (scrumhalf, leg)
– Gary van Aswegen (flyhalf, ankle)
– Kurt Coleman (flyhalf, jaw)
– Jean de Villiers (centre, hamstring)
WP Under-21 players in the DHL WP Currie Cup Final squad:
– Scarra Ntubeni (hooker)
– Steven Kitshoff (prop)
– Frans Malherbe (prop)
– Eben Etzebeth (lock)
– Wilhelm van der Sluys (lock)
– Damian de Allende (centre)
International players in the DHL WP Currie Cup Final squad:
– Deon Carstens (prop – South Africa)
– Eben Etzebeth (lock – South Africa)
– Duane Vermeulen (No.8 – South Africa)
– Jebb Sinclair (flank/No.8 – Canada)
– Juan de Jongh (centre – South Africa)
– Bryan Habana (wing – South Africa)
– GioAplon (wing/fullback – South Africa)
WP Rugby’s highlights thus far in 2012:
– Vodacom Cup winners – DHL WP beat Griquas 20-18 in the final on May 18, finishing the tournament unbeaten
– Vodacom Super Rugby SA Conference winners – the DHL Stormers managed seven (from eight) wins vs SA opposition, 14 from 16 league wins overall
– LSEN Week winners – the team finished unbeaten
– Grant Khomo Week (Under-16) winners – the team finished unbeaten
– Academy Week (Under-18) winners – the team finished unbeaten
– SARU Sub-Union champions – DHL WP Disa side
– SARU Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship champions – DHL WP Women’s team
– Southern SARU Amateur Provincial Competition champions – DHL WP Amateur side
DHL WP’s win/loss ratio across all professional competitions in 2012:
(Under-19, U21, Vodacom Cup, Super Rugby, Currie Cup)
64 matches played, 50 won – overall win percentage of 78%
New WP Rugby signings already announced for 2013:
– Seniors: Pat Cilliers (prop, Lions – Springbok), Ruan Botha (lock, Lions) and Michael Rhodes (lock/flank, Lions).
– Juniors: Steven Meiring (No.8, Blue Bulls), Ryno Eksteen (flyhalf, Blue Bulls – SA Schools) and Pieter Jordaan (flyhalf, FS Cheetahs – SA Schools).
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