Coach John Dobson has provided insight on the DHL Stormers lineup for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-final between the title-holders and Vodacom Bulls.
Fullback Clayton Blommetjies, wing Angelo Davids and flanks Marcel Theunissen and Willie Engelbrecht have all featured prominently for the Stormers this season, and will start for Western Province in the Currie Cup clash against the Bulls in Cape Town on Saturday.
In the midst of a lock injury crisis, Adre Smith makes his return for WP on a replacements bench which also includes Gary Porter, who came off with a shoulder knock in a narrow loss to the Pumas.
Dobson previously indicated that first-choice Stormers players will be rested this week, so Davids and Engelbrecht – who started in a bonus-point win against Benetton last Friday – are set to make way next week for Leolin Zas and Deon Fourie in the URC knockout at Cape Town Stadium.
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Speaking during a WP conference on Friday, Dobson also provided an update on Seabelo Senatla after the winger was concussed in the final round of the URC league campaign.
“It would be disingenuous if I tried to suggest otherwise – as sure as one can be a week before the time, we’re expecting Zassy and Deon are both fit for next week,” he told reporters.
“[Senatla] has done his return-to-play protocol and has passed every test so far. He’s progressed really well. I thought him coming off on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask looked worse, so he should be fit for next week.
“Adre’s back, Connor [Evans] has played URC … if we need Gary on earlier [against the Bulls] he’ll come on. Two of them will be fit for next week if we need them. I’m much more relaxed about the lock position with the return of Adre and Gary’s injury not so serious.
“Our team will be very, very different to the one that plays next week, in a very different competition.”
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The winners of Saturday’s clash will strike an important psychological blow to their rivals in the build up to next week, yet Dobson has insisted that the first of two blockbuster derbies in the Mother City should be viewed in isolation.
The fifth-placed Bulls and sixth-placed WP are separated by a single point on the log after seven games, and he added: “It’s a very important game for us in terms of the Currie Cup, we want to get into the playoffs.
“We’ve taken a couple of tough losses the last two weeks … I see this as a Currie Cup game. Not sure what team the Bulls are bringing down but this is our best Currie Cup team.
“We want to be loyal to this group of players and for these guys that have done a job in the Currie Cup. I think once the URC is finished – in our case that could be two or three weeks’ time, who knows – then it becomes a much more blended competition.
“In our minds this is a really important Currie Cup game, so I don’t see any real strong correlation to next week other than the names… and we’ve got a different name and they have a different adjective.”
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