The Eastern Province Kings u21 side put in what was probably their worst performance at home, last week against the Griquas u21 in their semi-final of the u21 Currie Cup B Division Competition. If one had to put it simply, the Kings never even got out of 1st gear on the day and would’ve been disappointed with their performance. The mere fact that they still ran out 44-26 winners is indicative of the quality of this side.
Wayvern Smith would’ve been particularly happy with his game after scoring 4 tries in the match. The openside flanker deservedly got the man of the match award for his try scoring exploits. The men from Kimberly must be given credit for taking the game to the Kings, they didn’t make things easy for the home side. Robbie Kempson’s men will need to be vastly improved in the final this week as they take on a very strong Boland u21 side at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. They beat the Boland side in Wellington in the competition, but they will know that the result in the Western Cape counts for nothing when the 2 sides meet in the final. There is good continuity with only a few changes to the squad that contested the semi-final last week.
The vastly experienced Brendan Olivier will add his experience to the front row having already played a lot of senior rugby in the Currie Cup. Captain Dane van derWesthuyzen is at hooker and will bring energy in the front row. This will be his 2nd final with the Kings u21 side. Vukile Sofisa anchors the scrum at tighthead to complete an unchanged front row. The dynamic pair of Kevin Kaba and Kuhle Sonkosi is also retained in the 2nd row with both boasting great athleticism. Kevin Kaba will be entrusted with most of the lineout duties while Kuhle Sonkosi does the hard yards and brings some grunt in the tight exchanges. The 4 try hero, Wayvern Smith, will wear the no.6 jersey once again and will hope to prove an inspired selection once again for the Kings. Claude Tshibidi who’s got a great work rate will scrum down on the blinside flank. Aidon Davis who had a few promising runs last week continues at the back of the scrum.
The backs also enjoy good continuity with the only change in the backs coming at outside centre, with big Marlou van Niekerk back to bolster the side after sitting out last week’s game with a concussion. Marlou will run outside Shane Gates who will line up at inside centre as the duo form the centre pairing. Ivan Ludick is at scrumhalf and will look to provide flyhalf Zorba Allerston with good, quick ball as they look to get the backline away. They also named a balanced back 3 with the fleet footed Sphu Msutwana on the right wing complementing the big and strong Eben Barnard on the left wing, Shakes Soyizwapi completes the back 3 and he’s the man with the flair at the back.
There are only 2 changes on the bench with Yakha dropping out of the 22 and Ruan Roberts coming in to deputise for Dane van der Westhuyzen having been out with injury for a few weeks. Ace Jho makes way for Marlou van Niekerk and takes his place on the bench, with Lonwabo Ntleki dropping out of the 22. Magic Majola and Gavin Hauptfleisch make up the rest of the back reserves. Pieter Stemmet will cover prop while Stefan Zaayman and Siphesihle Punguzwa cover the 2nd and back rows respectively.
I cornered Dane for a quick word ahead of the big game, this is what he had to say, “We just need a good start, stick to the game structure, stay disciplined and do everything to the best of our ability, if we do that I have no doubt that we will win.”
All the best to the defending champions for the big game today, the game kicks off at 16:15 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport 8.
EP Kings u21:
15: Siviwe Soyizwapi (Dale College)
14: Siphumelele Msutwana (Dale College)
13: Marlou van Niekerk (Marlow Landbou)
12: Shane Gates (Muir College)
11: Eben Barnard (Brandwag)
10: Ruan Allerston (Port Natal)
09: Ivan Ludick (Oakdale Landbou)
08: Aidon Davis (Daniel Pienaar)
07: Claude Tshidibi (Potch Boys’ High School)
06: Wayvern Smith (Brandwag)
05: Kevin Kaba (Queen’s College)
04: Kuhle Sonkosi (Westering High School)
03: Vukile Sofisa (Grey High School, PE)
02: Dane van der Westhuyzen (St Andrew’s College)
01: Brendan Olivier (Nico Malan)
Reserves:
16: Ruan Roberts (Daniel Pienaar)
17: Pieter Stemmet (Paul Roos Gymnasium)
18: Stefan Zaayman (Framesby High School)
19: Siphesihle Punguzwa (Selborne College)
20: Sonwabo Majola (Muir College)
21: Andile Jho (Dale College)
22: Gavin Hauptfleisch (Boishaai)
HEAD COACH: Robbie Kempson
ASSISTANT COACH: Mzwandile Stick
Ludumo Nkabi - follow on twitter @ludz19
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