Province have it all to do
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:21
Western Province have to overcome the might of the Blue Bulls forward pack this Friday in their Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld if they are to breathe new life into their slim semifinal hopes.
Allister Coetzee's men have been on a downward spiral for much of this Currie Cup season, and only an exceptional run of results will see them gain enough points from their remaining six matches to sneak into the top four spots on the Currie Cup log for a semifinal berth.
Province are currently fifth on the points table, nine points adrift from the Lions who are in fourth spot.
With that in mind, it is clear that WP will need every point available to them, starting this weekend in the lair of their old rivals from the North.
More bad news for WP fans is that tighthead prop Brok Harris twisted an ankle at training on Monday, and is a doubt for the Loftus clash. But forwards coach Jacques Hanekom stated that he was hoping Harris would make a swift recovery.
"Our preparation actually went well. We did most of the hard work last week and this week we just used to put the last things in place," Hanekom told WP's official site.
"But on Monday we had the injury of Brok - we ran through our structures and then he twisted his ankle right at the end of the training session.
"We are now waiting on a verdict from the medical team. We have just done all the critical things such as the line-outs and scrums and then he got injured."
Fortunately for Province Schalk Ferreira will be available once again, having recovered from a neck injury. But if Harris does not recover in time, coach Coetzee will be forced to call on Under-21 prop JC Kritzinger.
"Schalk and Wicus Blaauw are looseheads, but fortunately JC is a good player and he trained with us many times before. That is a positive and I am optimistic that he would be up for the task in case we have to call on him," said Hanekom.
"All the guys realize we are in a position where we must win. The task is made tougher when you have to play at Loftus against a strong team. But the guys are optimistic despite the situation we find ourselves in.
"We blooded a lot of youngsters in this year's competition due to injuries and Springbok commitments and I think up until now the forwards fared well.
"Our lineout play thus far has been some of the best in the competition and we scrummed well against Natal. One place where we need to improve from a forward point of view is on the ground. The Bulls are strong there with Deon Stegmann and Wikus van Heerden, so that will be a big challenge.
"If you want to measure yourself it surely should be against the best and this will be a good challenge for them.
"I am positive that our young guys would not stand back. Today you should take your opportunities, no matter your age."
