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All WP's Boks available

Cape Town - Western Province coach Allister Coetzee confirmed that all their returning Springboks will be available for their important Currie Cup clash against the Pumas at Newlands on Saturday.

Die Burger newspaper reports that Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh and Bryan Habana have all made themselves available for selection.

Coetzee said he would have understood if some of them were not keen to play so soon after returning from the World Cup in New Zealand.

"Man, I barely started talking when all of them said - like one man - they want to be part of our Currie Cup campaign. All six are thus available (for Saturday)," said Coetzee.

De Jongh only returned to Cape Town on Wednesday evening - and has subsequently not trained with the team yet.

Coetzee lauded the commitment and character of his Springboks for making themselves available and believes the heartbreak in New Zealand will make them hungry for Currie Cup success with WP.

"Our Boks have something to play for. It's also a chance to make up for last year's disappointment in the final (against the Sharks)," said Coetzee.

Province must win against the Pumas to ensure they qualify for the semi-finals, and might need a bonus point victory if the Blue Bulls beat the Leopards by a large margin.

They are currently in fourth position on the log standings, with 36 points - one ahead of the Blue Bulls. WP's points difference (71) is also far more superior to that of the Bulls (13).

Thus, barring a huge Blue Bulls victory over the Leopards, Province would only need to claim four points against the Pumas on Saturday.

They will also have the added advantage of knowing exactly what they need to do when their game kicks off - as the men from Pretoria have their game scheduled for Friday evening at Loftus Versfeld.

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