When Allister Coetzee named his Currie cup squad before the start of the tournament, the age and experience brought to the team was noticeably low. With seven players still able to qualify for the under-21 squad, Province is fielding a very young team.
Cheslin Kolbe (who has earned a name through his performance with the Stormers in the Super Rugby competition), Sti Sithole, Jean Kleyn, Jurie van Vuuren, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and under-21 ace Robert du Preez (who has already won over the Cape Town crowd after playing for Stellenbosch University in the 2014 Varsity Cup) with all be donning the famous blue and white stripes as the youngsters of this team.
As it seems with all South African teams at the moment, Western Province will need to deal with three main factors influencing their selection. Firstly, they lose their “Springboks” to the national team, ruling out the likes of Jean de Villiers, Duane Vermeulen and young gun Damian de Allende from selection. Secondly, injuries have plagued South African rugby and Province is set to lose the services of Steven Kitshoff and Ryno Eksteen. Lastly, major talent and experience has been lost with the departures of Deon Fourie, Gio Aplon and Peter Grant who have all decided to ply their trade in the Northern Hemisphere.
With so many changes taking place (William Ambaka Ndayara comes in as a new signing while Dillyn Leyds returns from the Western Force), Province has appointed a new captain in the way of experienced centre, Juan de Jong who can look to Pat Cilliers for additional support as vice-captain.
Western Province will look to take the title this year after falling just short to the winners, Natal Sharks, in the 2013 season. However, the youngsters of this team will need to step up and prove they are worthy of their place. Coach Coetzee seems confident in his selection and this year, despite having some big names out of action, does have the slight advantage of having too many options for his team rather than the usual dilemma of not enough.
Only time will tell if this Province team has what it takes to be the title holders come the end of the tournament. I personally will be backing the men in stripes as I know what they are capable of should they keep cool and play the rugby they know can win.
Western Province team:
Justin Ackerman, Willy Ambaka, Ruan Botha, Manuel Carizza, Nizaam Carr, Demetri Catrakilis, Pat Cilliers, Stephan Coetzee, Kurt Coleman, Damian de Allende, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Robert du Preez, Rynhardt Elstadt, Eben Etzebeth, Tazz Fuzani, Gerbrandt Grobler, Nic Groom, Brok Harris, Pat Howard, Oliver Kebble, Rohan Kitshoff, Jean Kleyn, Cheslin Kolbe, Siya Kolisi, Dillyn Leyds, Tiaan Liebenberg, Frans Malherbe, Godlen Masimla, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Siya Ntubeni, Neil Rautenbach, Michael Rhodes, Louis Schreuder, Seabelo Senatla, Sti Sithole, Rayn Smid, De Kock Steenkamp, Jaco Taute, Michael van der Spuy, Chevandre van Schoor, Jurie van Vuuren, Kobus van Wyk, Alistair Vermaak, Duane Vermeulen, Michael Willemse, Devon Williams.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow my Twitter account – @Cosmo_13_ Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
“Main Photo:”
