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WP welcome back Boks

Cape Town - Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has brought back all his Springbok players for Saturday's must-win Absa Currie Cup clash against the Free State Cheetahs at Newlands.

Kick-off is at 17:05.

Coetzee has made eight changes to his starting line-up from last weekend's clash in Pretoria with the introduction of Province's seven Springboks, including national skipper Jean de Villiers who takes over the captaincy from flank Deon Fourie.

"You've got to select your best possible side for the weekend," Coetzee said this week.

"It's completely different from last year, the mindset... everything.

"This is a crunch game for us, last year we had to play the Pumas and we had already qualified for the semi-finals.

"We have selected our best possible team to ensure we qualify for the semi-finals."

De Villiers will be joined in the starting line-up by fellow Boks, centre Juan de Jongh, wing Bryan Habana, eighthman Duane Vermeulen, locks Eben Etzebeth and Andries Bekker and hooker Tiaan Liebenberg.

Of the eight changes to the Province starting XV, one is positional with Don Armand shifting from lock to the back row.

Armand replaces the injured Tyrone Holmes at blindside, meaning there are five changes up front and three changes among the backs to the side that lost 26-13 to the Blue Bulls.

The only player without Super Rugby experience in the Province line-up is flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis.

Lock Eben Etzebeth will make his Currie Cup debut after appearing in 13 Super Rugby matches and eight Tests for the Springboks.

Meanwhile, Gio Aplon rejoins the matchday 22 on the bench after recovering from the ankle injury he suffered against Griquas three weeks ago.

Teams:

Western Province

15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Don Armand, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Marcel Brache, 22 Gio Aplon

Free State Cheetahs

15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Hendro Scholtz, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Marcel van der Merwe

Substitutes: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Philip Snyman, 22 Rayno Benjamin

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