DHL WP XV announced for Pumas friendly

Jul 16 • General News • 1541 Views • Comments Off on DHL WP XV announced for Pumas friendly

The DHL Western Province XV has been announced for the friendly clash against the Pumas at Drakenstein Correctional Centre on Saturday, July 18 (kick-off 16h15).

DHL WP Vodacom Cup captain Michael Willemse will lead the Province XV selection into battle – a side that includes national Bok skipper Jean de Villiers, who continues his return from a long-term knee injury.

De Villiers played his first game of rugby in eight months last weekend, coming off the bench for the Springboks against the World XV at DHL Newlands, and he is expected to get about 40 minutes of game time this Saturday.

De Villiers will partner the talented Huw Jones at centre, Jones having showed some neat touches in his debut season of Vodacom Super Rugby, in a talented but largely untried DHL WP XV selection.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s friendly, and discussing the team selection, new DHL Western Province head coach John Dobson said: “This game is very early in our Absa Currie Cup preparations – we started on the field (training) only last Thursday and have tried to do a fair amount in that time.

“We know we are undercooked, but it’s part of a deliberate plan in the build-up to our first game of the 2015 Absa Currie Cup competition. We are also using this game as a chance to look at our depth – depth that we will need during the Currie Cup.

“We wanted to give our Super Rugby players as much rest as we can, but having said that, with one or two notable exceptions, it is a very young team – a team made up of players who will have the opportunity to put up their hands for greater things. I am excited to see a lot of these players in action.

“We know all too well how the Pumas beat our Vodacom team in the Vodacom Cup Final at DHL Newlands a few weeks ago,” added Dobson, who coached DHL WP to that final in late May. “We know it’s going to be a very hard test, but it is exactly what we need.”

The DHL Western Province XV will be doing their 67 Minutes for Mandela on Friday, July 17 – after their captain’s run – at the Drakenstein Correctional Centre, where the late Nelson Mandela spent his final months in prison before his release in February 1990.

The DHL WP XV will be helping out with a coaching clinic in honour of SA’s first democratically elected President, who passed away in 2013 – his legacy, of course, continuing to live on as the undisputed ‘Father of our Nation’.

In conjunction with the WP Rugby Football Union’s very own coaching department – all of whom are BokSmart accredited – the DHL WP XV players will assist some inmates, children and community teams from Franschhoek, Simondium and Allendale Rugby Football Clubs at the coaching clinic.

The Allendale Rugby Football Club is made up of inmates from Drakenstein Correctional Centre, as well as officials from the prison, a proud WPRFU-affiliated club which has been rewarded for its excellent work off the field and one of the best disciplined clubs in the union (on the field).

Of course, the Franschhoek RFC recently suffered a terrible tragedy, when players and supporters lost their lives in a bus accident. For that reason, Saturday’s match is being co-hosted by them and the Drakenstein Correctional Centre.

“We are also pleased to be supporting the community of Franschhoek after the tragedy of earlier this year, as well as being at Drakenstein over Nelson Mandela’s birthday and that we are doing our bit there,” Dobson told the www.wprugby.com website.

“It’s quite humbling, both these stories, and it certainly puts the rugby in perspective. It’s great for our players and the growth of this group (of players).”

Tickets for Saturday’s friendly match – at R30 for adults, with kids (under the age of 14) getting in at no additional cost – can be purchased from the Drakenstein Correctional Centre on Friday (10h00 to 15h00) and on Saturday (09h00 until kick-off).

They are also available at the Andre du Toit Projects offices (8 De Wet Street, Franschhoek), Vee’s Video and The Photolab (also in Franschhoek).

The DHL WP XV for Saturday (v Pumas, friendly) is as follows:

15. EW Viljoen
14. Kobus van Wyk
13. Huw Jones
12. Jean de Villiers
11. Tshotsho Mbovane
10. Kurt Coleman
9. Godlen Masimla
8. Rayn Smid
7. Josh Katzen
6. Taps Tsomondo
5. Jan de Klerk
4. Wilhelm van der Sluys
3. Wilco Louw
2. Michael Willemse (captain)
1. Ali Vermaak
Replacements (from):
16. Chad Solomon
17. Sti Sithole
18. Oli Kebble
19. Chris van Zyl
20. Justin Benn
21. Sikhumbuzo Notshe
22. Jano Vermaak
23. Ernst Stapelberg
24. Brandon Thomson
25. Kyle Lombard
26. Jarryd Sage