Doubts over Luke again
IT is unlikely Luke Watson will lead the EP Kings into battle when they face the Cheetahs in a must-win Currie Cup Premier Division clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm kickoff ).
Though there was no official announcement from the EP Kings, it is believed that Watson is suffering from an upper leg quad injury.
The team is expected to be named today, and if Watson is not included in the side then centre Tim Whitehead is expected to captain the team.
Coach Brent Janse van Rensburg took the team through a strenuous training session yesterday as the Kings made preparations for what promises to be a fierce tussle.
The Kings have lost five Currie Cup matches on the trot and there is feeling they have targeted the Cheetahs clash as a game they want to win.
In their last game, the Kings employed a rotational policy which resulted in a revamped side being sent to play the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
When the team is named, it seems likely that hard-running wing Luther Obi will return to add extra pace to the Kings’ back division.
There are some doubts as to whether loose forward Tim Agaba, who is suffering from bout of flu, will be fit for the Cheetahs’ clash.
Paul “Tier” Schoeman is also expected to start and he will relish the chance to shine against a team he will be joining at the end of the season.
It is also expected that the Kings will persist with Karlo Aspeling at flyhalf, and Elgar Watts starting from the bench.
In a medical report released on Monday, the Kings revealed that Cameron Lindsay (knee injury), Ronnie Cooke (toe injury), JP du Plessis (knee injury) and Steven Sykes (rib injury) were all receiving treatment.
Before the Lions game, Janse van Rensburg said: “Some guys have played, including the warm-up games, six games in a row and close to 80 minutes every game.
“There comes a point in the competition where you need to try rotate a bit,” he said.
“We wanted to give some other guys that have done really well up until now an opportunity.
“It was a chance for them to show what they are worth and for us to look at different people in the squad.
“We can now tackle the remaining five rounds in the competition with some fresh legs.”
The Cheetahs also have injury problems to consider, with flying wing Raymond Rhule not expected to play because of a neck problem.
Cheetahs head coach Franco Smith is also expected to be without prop Caylib Oosthuizen (knee injury) for the rest of the season. The weekend fixtures: Tomorrow: 7:10pm: EP Kings v Free State Cheetahs (Port Elizabeth).
Saturday: 5:05pm: Sharks v Western Province (Durban). 7pm: Blue Bulls v Golden Lions (Pretoria). 7:10pm: Griquas v Pumas (Kimberley).