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Griquas throw Rose a lifeline

Gerdie Karstens

Kimberley – Griquas have breathed life into the ailing career of Earl Rose.

The Kimberley-based side have signed Rose until the end of 2011 and thereby prevented him from seeking greener pastures overseas.

Rose will join Griquas on November 1 and will provide depth at flyhalf.

He was shown the door by the Lions during this year’s Super 14 and was not even considered for the Currie Cup by  coach John Mitchell.

Scottish sides Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors were apparently interested, but the player on Wednesday signed for Griquas.

“The move to Kimberley is a good opportunity for Earl to find his feet in South African rugby again. It will be like a new beginning for him,” said Rose’s agent, Anthony Johnson.

Rose has been heavily criticised for his form and poor discipline, and only time will tell whether it was a shrewd buy.

Earl and his younger brother Jody recently walked out of the Lions camp at the Platinum International Sevens tournament.

Meanwhile, Griquas coach Dawie Theron announced his starting line-up for Saturday’s match against the Blue Bulls at GWK Park.

Theron has picked his strongest available side.

Stalwarts such as Wesley Wilkins (flank), Leon Karemaker (No 8) and Frikkie Spies (lock) will run out against the Bulls. Their presence will be a boost up front for the home side.

“We know the Bulls traditionally play a physical brand of rugby and we have to be ready for it. We will run onto the field with a physical approach of our own and in particular have to make an impact at the breakdowns,” said Theron.

Griquas paid a lot of attention to their lineouts this week as they considered the role that Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield will play for the visitors in that regard.

“We have played against the Matfield-Botha combination before and know what to expect. It’s one of the areas we focused on in our preparation. We need to ensure possession against them,” added Theron.

Griquas:

Riaan Viljoen, Rocco Jansen, Jean Stemmet, Barry Geel, Bjorn Basson, Naas Olivier (captain), Sarel Pretorius, Leon Karemaker, Wesley Wilkins, Justin Downey, Cecil Kemp, Frikkie Spies, Jean Botha, Rayno Barnes, Steph Roberts.
Replacements: Simon Westraadt, Jacobie Adriaanse, Edwin Hewitt, Gerhard Human, Marnus Hugo, Wilmaure Louw, Rudi Vogt.

Kick-off: 15:00
 
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