Preparations continue for epic Province clash
Scrum half, Reynier van Rooyen, started training with his mates this week and have been cleared for the team's second warm-up match against Western Province in Cape Town today.
The Steval Pumas will have to deal with several new injuries from their first warm-up match against the Xerox Golden Lions this weekend.
Jannie Stander suffered an injury and will have to watch his team from the sideline.
Forwards Frank Herne and Jeremy Jordaan replace Stander and Wiehan Hay.
Ruwellyn Isbell, who also struggles with a niggle, is the only back that has been left out of the squad that left for Cape Town yesterday.
This past weekend’s clash in Witbank against the Johannesburg side resulted in a narrow 19-16 victory for the visitors, but has given the Pumas’ coaching staff a valuable indication of the aspects that need work ahead of the SuperSport Challenge.
Also read: Golden Lions squeak past the Steval Pumas
Pumas coach, Brent Janse van Rensburg, said that he expects a particularly harsh contest from Western Province.
“This match will be a lot more abrasive than last weekend because of their defensive mindset. They’ll get guys to the deck quickly, be hard at the breakdown and try to slow our ball down. We have to be mentally up for it, be prepared to outwork them and endure a number of phases with ball in hand. The game will require a lot of work ethic,” said Janse van Rensburg.
Speed to the ruck, defensive width and line speed, and tidying up at the line-outs have all been focuses for the side in training this week.
“Getting momentum will be a challenge so we’ve got to consider how we’re going to handle that. This is still very much preparation for us, so we’re still looking to try out a few things and test combinations,” explained Janse van Rensburg.
“We’re looking forward to having a fully-fit squad of guys. But that’s still a long way away. For the moment this gives us a good opportunity to develop the rest of the squad and for players to put their hands up,” said Janse van Rensburg.
The match against Western Province kicks off at 12:25. Keep an eye on the Pumas’ Facebook page and Twitter feed for live score updates from the game.
The team
Forwards
De-Jay Terblanché, Marné Coetzee, Jacques Kotze, Simon Westraadt, Louis Albertse, Frank Herne, Marko Janse van Rensburg, Jeremy Jordaan, Hugo Kloppers, Tazz Fuzani, Stephan Greeff, Marnus Schoeman, Johan Grundlingh, Carel Greeff, Reuben Johannes and Willie Engelbrecht.
Backs
Emile Temperman, Reynier van Rooyen, Kobus Marais, Sias Ebersohn, JP Lewis, Hennie Skorbinski, Deon Helberg, Bernado Botha, Marlou van Niekerk, Leighton van Wyk, Tyler Fisher and Devon Williams.
