Coetzee rewards form players

Cape Town - Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has rewarded fringe players for their good form by naming them in the starting XV to face Griquas in a Currie Cup match in Kimberley on Saturday.

Loose forward Tertius Daniller and midfielder Marcel Brache were hugely impressive when they played off the bench against the Pumas last week, and Coetzee said both players had earned a place in the run-on side.

"Tertius Daniller had a good game against the Pumas, and deserves an opportunity in the starting side," Coetzee said on Thursday.

"He also offers a good line-out option and that means that Nazeem Carr will play off the bench."

Coetzee said there would be more chances for Carr to stake his claim as the season progressed.

"Brache impressed with his line-breaks against the Pumas and he got the nod ahead of Berton Klaasen, who we also considered after the injury to Tim Whitehead," Coetzee said.

Hooker Deon Fourie was expected to be on the flight to Kimberley but the team doctor believed his nose, which was fractured three weeks ago, needed more time to set sufficiently.

In view of the national team call-ups ahead of the World Cup, as well as a spate of injuries, Province have struggled to field a settled combination, but Coetzee was nevertheless pleased with the results this season.

"We are still striving to get the balance right in the team, in terms of our playing style," said Coetzee.

"There are times when then the kicking game will work for us, while at other times we'll prefer to run the ball up.

"This week we're up against Griquas, and every team in this competition know they are tough in Kimberley. They play a high tempo game as well as a very physical game.

"They pride themselves on the set-pieces and since many of their players are in good form, they're playing with lots of confidence."

Coetzee said his side would need to use their opportunities in search of their third straight win.

"We have not been taking our opportunities in recent games but we will have to be more accurate this week otherwise we'll be punished," he said.

"Griquas are an accurate team and we'll have to respect them."

Province skipper Tiaan Liebenberg said he and his fellow forwards were facing a massive challenge against the hosts.

"We know they're a team that thrives on mauling but we've grown as a pack and we need to be up for the challenge," Liebenberg said.

"They are a formidable side at home, perhaps not so potent on the road.

"It is well-known that they have the best contesting line-out in the Currie Cup and they have many guys in their squad that were formerly from Cape Town, so they know what to expect."

Teams

Western Province: Conrad Jantjes, Danie Poolman, Johann Sadie, Marcel Brache, JJ Engelbrecht, Demetri Catrakilis, Dewaldt Duvenage, Nick Koster, Tertius Daniller, Nick Fenton-Wells, De Kock Steenkamp, Hilton Lobberts, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg (captain), Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Skarra Ntubeni, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 Quinton Roux, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Berton Klaasen, 22 Steven Hunt

Griquas: 15. Rudi Vogt, 14. Rocco Jansen, 13. Wilmaure Louw, 12. Hanno Coetzee, 11. Dusty Noble, 10. Riaan Viljoen, 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Jonathan Mokuena (captain), 7. Davon Raubenheimer, 6. Justin Downey, 5. Martin Muller, 4. Hendrik Roodt, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Ryno Barnes, 1. Ivann Espag

Substitutes: 16. Simon Westraadt, 17. Steph Roberts, 18. Frikkie Spies, 19. Marnus Schoeman, 20. Marnus Hugo, 21. Jean Stemmet, 22. Earl Rose

* Click HERE for latest Currie Cup odds on BET.CO.ZA