‘Good things’ expected from Kotze

JOHNNY KOTZE is no stranger to being thrown into the deep end against the old enemy at Loftus Versfeld.

In the Stormers’ first match of the season against the Bulls on February 14, Kotze made his Super Rugby debut on the wing and played a starring role in a shock victory for the Cape side. Tomorrow, the 22-year-old will make his longawaited run-on Currie Cup debut in the No 13 jersey for WP against the Blue Bulls (kick off 7.10pm) following captain Juan de Jongh’s unfortunate knee injury.

Ideally, Kotze was going to start next to De Jongh, but as fate should have it he will now play next to utility back Jaco Taute. Kotze played solely on the wing for the Stormers, but those outside centre traits were more than visible every time he managed to get his hands on the ball.

Kotze is an explosive runner, and a guy who isn’t shy to look for the outside gap. And, while he is still raw, he showed a lot of composure and maturity in the pressure situations. No one is more excited to see how Kotze goes tomorrow than coach John Dobson, who earlier this year said Kotze will play international rugby sooner rather than later.

“Johnny was always going to play. He is obviously one of the guys we were keen on, to see how he goes in Currie Cup,” Dobson said yesterday. “Without talking him up too much, we are expecting good things from him (tomorrow). He has got very good angles, and he is a strong boy with a strong hand-off.”

It will definitely be a real test of character, and of his defensive abilities against a Bulls team who are trying to expand their repertoire on attack

“I think 13 is the hardest position to defend on the field, and at a place like Loftus you are covering so much space. It’s going to be tough for him,” Dobson said.

Meanwhile, hooker Scarra Ntubeni will make a welcome return to WP off the bench after carrying tackle bags with the Springboks over the last two months. The WP hooker pool, suddenly, looks a lot deeper than a few weeks ago when current firstchoice Bongi Mbonambi was struggling with a hamstring injury.

Ntubeni’s match sharpness may be a bit of an issue – he hasn’t played a competitive match since June 20 – but his experience when talking the field in the last quarter of the match will definitely be a great boost for Province.