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Cape Town - Western Province have roped in the exciting Maties and WP Under-21 wing JJ Engelbrecht, in an effort to bolster the team's mobility in the table-topping Currie Cup clash against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday evening.
Province coach Allister Coetzee, said on Wednesday mobility will be a major facet of the Sharks' game plan and for that reason he also reverted to the more conventional four forwards/three backs rather than the five/two split combination on the substitutes' bench.
"We know the Sharks are all about attack and we have chosen a squad with that in mind," said Coetzee.
"The players on the bench offer us both mobility and impact and that is going to be crucial on Saturday.
"We have done our homework and we know it is going to be a helluva tough game but it's a challenge we will enjoy."
Coetzee has also opted to bring flanker Rynhardt Elstadt into the starting XV at the expense of Nick Koster who has been relegated to the bench, but great things will be expected from him when he joins the fray in the second half.
Seasoned winger Frikkie Welsh said he expected a "massively physical onslaught" from the Sharks but felt the Province side had a taste of things to come in the match against the Blue Bulls last week.
"We know what to expect from the Sharks, but our focus will be on the type of game that we want to play," said Welsh.
"They have some special players but there's no point in making plans for a particular opponent, however special he may be."
Teams:
Western Province:
15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. JJ Engelbrecht, 13. Tim Whitehead, 12. Paul Bosch, 11. Frikkie Welsh, 10. Willem de Waal, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Rynhard Elstadt, 6. Pieter Louw, 5. Anton van Zyl (captain), 4. Adriaan Fondse, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw
Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Buhle Mxunyelwa, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Nick Koster, 20. Conrad Hoffmann, 21. Lionel Cronje 22. Morgan Newman
Sharks:
TBA
