CENTRE OF ATTENTION
WILLEMSE: WESTERN PROVINCE MOVE PIVOT TO MIDFIELD FOR CUP FINAL
Other changes see Notshe and Vermaak return.
It was so tough for Western Province coach John Dobson to choose between Damian Willemse and Josh Stander for their side’s crucial clash this week that he decided to pick both.
Willemse was surprisingly named yesterday at inside centre for tomorrow’s Currie Cup final at Newlands, replacing Dan Kriel, while Stander was set to return to the side at flyhalf, with the former Bulls player having been tactically superb throughout the competition with his sound kicking game.
Dobson, who included eight Springboks in his match 23, also decided to tweak the scrumhalf and No 8 positions, with veteran Jano Vermaak returning in the place of Herschel Jantjies, while Springbok loose forward Silhumbuzo Notshe replaced Juarno Augustus at the back of the scrum.
Having hinted after last week’s tense extra-time semifinal win over the Blue Bulls that in some areas he might have got the selections wrong, Dobson said his team wanted to make the most of the opportunity.
“There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point, with many different people making important contributions,” Dobson said. “There is nothing like a Currie Cup final at Newlands, so it is something we would like to embrace and make the most of in front of the faithful supporters.”
While Vermaak was an experienced campaigner, having previously turned out for the Boks, the Lions and the Bulls, he had just come back from a thumb injury.
Willemse, meanwhile, was groomed at both flyhalf and fullback, and he hadn’t played at inside centre since his junior days, so he was set to be tested against the likes of Sharks centre Marius Louw.
The unbeaten Province outfit were preparing to host the cup final for the first time since 2014, when they beat the Golden Lions 19-16, though they had been in the trophy battle five times in the last six years.