WP coach Allister Coetzee yesterday made only 2 changes to the run on team that delivered a 32-o hiding to the Lions at Newlands on Saturday.
The Leopards fixture seemed an ideal opportunity to give some of the youngsters in the squad a run and judging by the amount of U/21 and Vodacom Cup players present at senior training on Monday and Tuesday it seemed like a weakened WP would be taking to the field on Friday night.
I mentioned yesterday that I hoped that Coetzee would be a bit wary of making wholesale changes as losses to the Valke and Boland in previous seasons had scuttled WP chances of making the semi final stages of the competition and it seems that Coetzee was not about to relive those experiences as he resisted the urge to go with the young squad.
The only changes to the starting are livewire hooker Deon Fourie coming in for Tiaan Liebenberg and JD Moller covering for the injured Wicus Blaauw.Yazir Hartzenburg and JC Kritzinger each get a seat on the bench.
Hartzenburgs selection over Nick Koster is that WP are looking to develop Hartzenburg into a blindside flank while Koster is primarily an 8th man.
The squad to take on the Leopards is :
15. Conrad Jantjes 14. Fabian Juries13. Tim Whitehead12. Paul Bosch 1. Frikkie Welsh10. Willemde Waal9. Dewaldt Duvenage8. Duane Vermeulen7. Rynardt Elstadt6. Pieter Louw 5.Anton van Zyl (Captain)4. Adriaan Fondse3. Brok Harris2. Deon Fourie1. JD Moller
Reserves:16. Tiaan Liebenberg17. JC Kritzinger18. Martin Muller19. Yaya Hartzenberg20. PieterMyburgh21. Conrad Hoffmann22. Lionel Cronje
I would have liked for Lionel Cronje to start this fixture but I’m pretty sure we will see this youngster coming onto the field directly after the break.Getting the bonus point in this fixture is also almost non negotiable as the Sharks and Bulls are breathing down WP necks for the top spot.
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better not tell jantjies to break a leg. 😆
Disappointing after the news yesterday that many youngsters were in training..
Maybe he is thinking about that bonus point?!
Would have been nice but like i said in the post, we’ve been burnt by the smaller teams before
Seems like overkill for the lowly leopards . ..
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 3) :
Not this season dude.
The smaller teams like the Lions, Leopards and Pumas will be no match for the mighty WP!! 😈
Griquas, Cheetahs and Bulls I’m concerned about!! 😕
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 3) : with your top players in. was it in 2008 that you missed the semis because the bok players misfired against small unions. i remember schalk and jean being in the squad and they got taken down. but when the boks were out the team, the team won.
@try time (Comment 6) : actually that reminds me of the sharks semi final last year. maybe keeping the boks out if the currie cup is a good thing.
@try time (Comment 6) :
We prefer blaming that season’s lack of success on Puke Watson!! 😈 😀
@wpw (Comment 8) : funnily enough puke actually played well that season. schalk was the weak link, like he is in the boks at the moment.
I cannot stand WP. But that is a pretty decent looking team – see you in the semi’s…
Here`s my pick for the top four, which should see us into the finals in Dbn . . Sharks, WP, Bulls, Kwas.
That should see us into a home final against a bruised wp side, then it`s game on!
It would be better for me if the final is in CT but I don`t think it would be best for the Sharks.
But yeah, things never work out the way we plan so I`m guessing we`ll probably have to face FS or the Bulls then we`re backs to the wall again ! 🙄
I’ll make a judgement about the top 4 after the Bulls, WP and Cheetahs have played and (hopefully) lost in Kimberley 😈