Olivier out with fractured cheekbone
Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:10
Four changes have been made to the Griquas team to play the Blue Bulls in their Currie Cup encounter at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, on Friday.
Newly signed former Western Province flyhalf Naas Olivier had the misfortune to fracture his cheekbone during his debut for Griquas, in the no-quarter-asked-or-given local derby against the Cheetahs last Friday.
Olivier will undergo surgery on Thursday.
Conrad Barnard is also still struggling with a shoulder injury, with utility back Tobie Botes returning to wear the Griqua No.10 jersey against the Blue Bulls.
Botes will have scrumhalf Dougie Helmuth as his halfback partner, with the elusive Sarel Pretorius starting out among the replacements.
Flank Stephan Gerber - whose wife had a son last weekend - returns to the starting line-up at No.7 and with eighthman Heinrich Stride earning a well-deserved break, skipper Gareth Krause has been moved from No.6 to the back of the Griqua scrum - while Rohan Kitshoff, who impressed against the Cheetahs, is at No.6.
The hard-working Wayne van Heerden has been moved from the flank to lock, where he has been preferred to the recently-returned from-injury Brendon Snyman who is among the replacements.
Lock Cilliers Coetzer will play his swansong match for Griquas before relocating to France to continue his rugby career.
One encouragement for Griquas is their unchanged starting front-row of tighthead prop Ruaan du Preez, hooker Hans van Dyk and loosehead prop Albertus Buckle.
Recent addition to the Griqua squad, utility forward Tyronne Holmes from the Western Province, has been named among the replacements - as is centre Jaco Bekker, returning after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Griquas: 15 Bjorn Basson, 14 Gavin Passens, 13 Lafras Uys, 12 Riaan Viljoen, 11 MJ Mentz, 10 Tobie Botes, 9 Dougie Helmuth, 8 Gareth Krause (captain), 7 Stephan Gerber, 6 Rohan Kitshoff, 5 Cilliers
Coetzer, 4 Wayne van Heerden, 3 Ruaan du Preez, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 Albertus Buckle.
Replacements: 16 James van der Walt, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Brendon Snyman, 19 Tyronne Holmes, 20 Sarel Pretorius, 21 Jaco Bekker, 22 Egon Seconds.
Date: Friday, August 15
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Christie du Preez
Touch judges: Pro Legoete, Muller van der Nest
TMO: Michael Cupido/Gerrie Coetzee
